Echoes of the Past - Echoes in Time Sidestory #1
by AllWhacked
Summary: A tale of Ranma's exploits in the past. (Note: This is a X-Over with Ranma 1/2, Highlander, and Ninja Scroll)
1. Chapter 01 v103 Revised

An Echoes in Time Side Story Series  
  
Echoes of the Past - Story #1 - Chapter 01  
  
Version 1.03 (05/02/02)  
  
By AllWhacked  
  
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com  
  
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/  
  
--- Disclaimer ---  
  
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takakashi. The  
characters of Hokuto no Ken belong to Buronson and Tetsuo  
Hara. The characters of Ninja Scroll belong to Manga. The  
characters of Highlander belong to Davis/Panzer Inc. All  
other characters to appear are owned by their respective  
owners. So in other words, I DO NOT own shit, so please  
don't sue me because I have Zero money. Thank You.  
  
--- Warning!!! ---  
  
Anyway this is an Alterverse/Continuation fanfic with severe  
x-over tendencies.  
  
--- Note to Reader ---  
  
This is a prequel to Echoes in Time. It focuses on Ranma's  
adventures after being left behind in China, during the  
Nanban Mirror episode(anime only). Now he's stranded 300  
years in the past, stuck in the middle of Imperial China  
surrounded by husband hungry Amazons. The events that occur  
may not run in chronological order and will be based on  
flashbacks on key events on his life.  
  
Also, due to the X-Over with Ninja Scroll a few of the  
beginning scenes will follow more of less the direct  
dialogue with the movie. Although I try not to follow canon  
word for word, I felt that it was necessary to do so for at  
least a few scenes so that those who aren't familiar with  
the series can get a better idea of who and what is going  
on. Also note there will definitely be a lot of spoiler if  
you've never watched Ninja Scroll though if you haven't  
watched it by now then shame on for not already seeing it.  
  
"..." = spoken dialogue  
  
'...' = thoughts  
  
--- End Note to Reader, Start of Flashbacks ---  
  
*** Japan, Tokugawa Period (circa. 1600-1868 AD) ***  
  
'Fantastic. I finally change into some dry clothes and it  
looks as if it's going to rain soon,' remarked a young man  
as he made his way along a lone dirt road. He was dressed  
in a black, long sleeved button down Chinese shirt, with a  
pair of matching black, loose fitting trousers. He carried  
no pack or article on him except for a wooden staff that was  
almost as long as he was tall.  
  
As the man continued to walk with his staff strapped  
securely to his back, he heard the sound of distant thunder  
rolling in off in the distance. 'Great' he thought. 'Well  
you better hurry up Ranma and find shelter if you don't want  
to be using a wet rock for a pillow tonight.' Ranma  
shivered at the thought and then wondered when he had gotten  
so soft; in his youth it was so common for him to just camp  
out under the stars whether under pouring rain or a hot  
summer's night.  
  
'Damn, the time in the village and then the monastery really  
did a number on me. It's a good thing I decided to go on  
this pilgrimage so that I can get back to nature and focus  
on the art.' He suddenly felt a light dampness on his nose  
as he realized the storm was coming sooner than he thought.  
  
'Well, you better hurry' he said to himself as he  
immediately went into a flat run. In the wind, his shoulder  
length pigtail flapped violently up and down across his back  
as he made good time running along the imperial highway-  
-heading north towards a shrine in the mountains that he had  
heard amazing stories about. While running, Ranma failed to  
notice that on the cliff bluff high above him, eight lone  
riders on horseback rode quickly towards the small fishing  
community of Shimoda Village.  
  
*** The Next Day ***  
  
"What is it now?" remarked a man who was dressed in fine  
silk robes. He was standing in a lush garden near the edge  
of a pond; in the water koi swam slowly as he fed them small  
bits of rice.  
  
"I'm sorry to bother you sir, but I have something unusual  
that I must report," remarked another man as he kneeled  
deeply; his body was concealed within the shadows of nearby  
shrubbery. "My man saw a strange group of men running away  
from Shimoda Village last night. I thought it might have  
something to do with the epidemic, so I came to you,  
Chamberlain."  
  
"What are you telling me?" the Chamberlain replied  
sarcastically. "That they spread poison to the town as they  
passed through it or something as equally improbable.  
Preposterous! Don't even waste my time."  
  
The man in the shadows lowered his head slightly then paused  
as he heard his Chamberlain's words. "Sir, something is up  
there... I can smell it."  
  
"Let it go" his master rebuked.  
  
"As you wish sire. I just thought that I'd bring it to your  
attention."  
  
The Chamberlain paused as he thought for a second. "Hmm, on  
second thought perhaps we can't. So this is what I want you  
to do Hanza; take the Koga Ninjas to Shimota Village and  
find out what really happened."  
  
"Yes" came his reply.  
  
"Hanza?" the Chamberlain then added. "Incase your people  
are infected by this disease..." He left the implied danger  
float there.  
  
Hanza simply nodded. "I understand, Chamberlain."  
  
++++++++++  
  
In an isolated building a group of twenty Koga Ninja waited  
as they were debriefed on their next mission.  
  
"Alright, I want the first group to head along the Shirakawa  
River. The second group will go with me along Taro pass.  
Are there any questions?" asked Hanza as he pointed to  
places on an archaic looking map.  
  
"Feh" remarked one of his men. "The watch said there were  
only eight riders. That's hardly a match for us." The  
other men in the group laughed in agreement, though Hanza  
did not share his men's confidence.  
  
"Perhaps" he began. "But our enemy will be the epidemic."  
  
"Hehe, hardly worth our effort if you ask me." Just then  
they heard the slight sound of approaching footsteps. As  
the men in the room tensed in wait for the incoming  
intruder, they were relieved to see it was only their lord's  
food-poison taster, a beautiful young woman not much older  
than her late teens, early twenties.  
  
"Kagero, what are you doing here?" queried Hanza, he had a  
slightly apprehensive look on his face as he looked at  
Kagero's emotionless features.  
  
As she surveyed the room and realized that this was a  
meeting for a mission, Kagero's brow slightly furled.  
"Hanza, tell me why you've counted me out of this mission."  
  
Hanza gave a pained frown. "Need I remind you, you have  
your own mission, Kagero? Don't forget that poison tasting  
is a very important responsibility."  
  
"While our lord is away there really isn't a need for my  
expertise," she replied while keeping the same emotionless  
face. "But till he returns I belong to you as one of your  
Koga Ninja."  
  
"But it is simply too dangerous," he answered back with  
sincerity. He felt immediate guilt after saying it,  
especially as she began to stare holes at him and proceeded  
to cut her hair short in anticipation of joining the  
mission.  
  
"You might die on this mission," she said. "Do you expect  
me to just sit her and wait? Alone... Now do you?"  
  
The other ninjas just stared at the scene as they could only  
sympathize with the two. On one side, Hanza was right and  
the mission they were on was possibly a suicide run. On the  
other hand, the men all understood that beneath Kagero's  
gruff exterior she was still a woman and harbored feelings  
toward their leader. There wasn't much debate there after  
as Hanza relented. In an hour the twenty plus ninja headed  
towards the woods outlining the route towards Shimoda  
Village.  
  
In the trees, man shaped shadows jumped from tree limb to  
tree limb. Their swift movements and the ease at which they  
jumped made it look as if they were flying. As the group of  
Koga Ninja paused amongst their hiding spots in tall trees,  
a screamed echoed through the night sky.  
  
Then as suddenly as the scream began, a low whining sound  
could be heard making its way closer to the group of Ninja.  
  
"Look out!" cried someone as a whirling blade of stone and  
iron flew through the air, cutting through tree trunks,  
branches, and men--sending splinters of wood, blood, and  
gore outward in its wake. Suddenly someone saw movement  
from within the shadows.  
  
"There!" shouted Hanza. The remaining members of the Koga  
team turned and unleashed a torrent of ninja stars at a  
nearby tree. Behind it, the shadow of their comrade's  
killer was seen. With each passing second, the culmination  
of dozens upon dozens of stars made their impact--felling  
the tree in a matter of seconds to reveal behind it an ogre  
of a man.  
  
The ogre was tall, nearly nine and a half feet and had skin  
with the texture of hardened rock. In a brazen move, Hanza  
leapt high into the air as he avoided the flying lance  
during its return flight back to its user. Beneath Hanza,  
some of the ninja who were around him weren't as lucky as  
they were cut in two by the twirling blade. While in the  
air, he flung in succession three stars that bounced  
harmlessly off the giant's skin.  
  
From another direction, Kagero leapt for an attack, bringing  
her short sword down on their attacker. However, she was  
easily spotted and her blow was blocked by a simple twist of  
the ogre's lance. With little give, her strike knocked her  
back and she landed with a dull thud on the ground. She was  
almost crushed as the lance was dropped down on top of her.  
  
'Oh god' she thought. She had nearly been skewered and now  
the monster had leapt down to the ground and was eyeing her  
in a way that invoked no sense of good. Seeing the monster  
lick its lips, Kagero shuddered in fear.  
  
Then suddenly Hanza had come running with his sword ready to  
do combat. He leapt at the giant and was prepared to bring  
his own blade down swiftly. However, he let out a scream of  
pain as he realized that his attack had failed. Now his  
arms were caught in vice like grips, his limbs being pulled  
out of their sockets.  
  
"Kagero" he struggled to say as the sounds of snapping sinew  
and breaking bones could be heard. "Re.. report to the Lord  
Chamberlain while you still can." At that instant, Hanza's  
arms were ripped free of his torso, his body falling limp to  
the ground. On seeing this, Kagero let out a scream, her  
body failed to move as she watched her leader get torn  
apart.  
  
Gasping, she finally recovered enough wit to slowly crawl  
away. She didn't dare turn her head in the direction she  
was going, watching in horror at the ghastly sight of the  
giant drinking the blood pouring freely from Hanza's severed  
arms. Finally, she got enough sense to run quickly, turning  
her back away from her tormentor.  
  
She jumped over large roots and various obstacles; she  
eventually leapt high into the treetops, attempting to use  
the higher ground to escape her attacker. However, the  
sound of a low whine could be heard as the blade of the  
giant was let loose and hurled towards Kagero's direction.  
With amazing skill, the blade was able to snap the tree  
branch that Kagero was standing on, causing her to plummet  
to the ground.  
  
As she closed her eyes, bracing for the painful impact,  
Kagero was instead caught in the outstretched hand of the  
monstrous giant. Although she did not die, she landed hard  
on her stomach, knocking both the wind and the wits out of  
her. With her eyes closing, she let out a low groan as she  
realized she had failed Hanza.  
  
++++++++++  
  
'What the fuck?' thought Ranma as he was jarred awake by a  
loud thud. He was sleeping soundly in a small wooden  
building along the main road; the purpose of the building  
was to provide shelter to travelers during the night.  
Snapping open his weary eyes, he immediately scanned his  
surroundings and narrowed them at what he saw.  
  
In the middle of the one room building, less than twenty  
feet away from him was an ogre of a man who was in the  
process of stripping away the clothing of an obviously  
unconscious young woman. Ranma watched in detached anger as  
the man exposed the woman's breast and began to fondle and  
suck on them. Because he was so tired he didn't react as  
fast as he normally would have and so it took a little while  
before he realized he needed to do something.  
  
Getting up quietly, he utilized his skills of stealth and  
made his way towards the giant while unnoticed. As he  
neared the two, the girl known as Kagero, suddenly opened  
her eyes as she woke up. She tried to get up but was  
slammed painfully to the ground, her rapist pinning her neck  
with his massive hands.  
  
"Shut up..." the giant named Tessai began. "And perhaps  
I'll let you live just a little bit longer... Don't let it  
cross your mind that I wouldn't mind raping a dead girl."  
At hearing this, Kagero seemed to sink back into herself and  
though still defiant in mind, she knew to continue resisting  
now would only result in her immediate death.  
  
Meanwhile in the shadows, Ranma's blood was turned to a boil  
as he heard Tessai's ultimatum. In his mind, men like this  
had always made him angry; he had always hated those who  
would prey on the weak--especially women. But, after  
hearing something so sick, so disturbing as this, he knew  
that he wasn't just going to settle with simply beating the  
crap out of this guy, he was going to kill him. But first,  
before he sent this scum to the next world, he was going to  
have some fun with him.  
  
"Yo Bub?" he began nonchalantly; Ranma was less than a foot  
away from the two. "Do you mind knocking that shit off, I'm  
trying to sleep here?"  
  
"Piss off, I'm busy!" was the Giant's reply; it was followed  
by a steely gaze that promised imminent death. In response,  
Ranma either didn't seem to notice nor care as he continued  
to speak in a casual tone.  
  
"Nah I don't need to take a leak," he began. "But thanks  
for asking. And yeah, I did notice which is why I'm telling  
you to knock that shit off and let the girl go. Because it  
simply breaks my heart to see such a pretty-thing being  
raped by an ugly fuck like you."  
  
Taking a deep sigh. "I know it's hard to meet girls now a  
days, especially since you're so damn ugly. So why don't  
you let the girl go. If you do, I'll let you have these two  
pieces of silver. With them I'm sure you can find a farmer  
who'd sell you a nice frisky little pig or mule to do it  
with." Ranma smirked inwardly as he saw both the surprised  
look on the girl's face and the enraged look on the giants.  
  
*Swish*  
  
Ranma simply slid back and away from Tessai's attack,  
stopping less than an inch away from the range of the blade.  
The giant had an impressed look on his face and was  
surprised to see just how fast Ranma had moved. In fact,  
the giant had initially thought he cleaved through Ranma,  
but soon realized that he had only cleaved through an after  
image of his form.  
  
But, regardless of being impressed, the giant was none  
amused. "I warned you to get out" he remarked as his skin  
started shifting forms and was visibly taking on the texture  
of rock. The man's mass more than doubled during the  
transformation as Ranma watched in amazement and slight  
amusement.  
  
'I can't believe this' thought Ranma. 'Who would have  
thought that I'd actually get to meet a rock monster that I  
can try the breaking point on? Man, this is going to be no  
challenge at all. But uh oh, if I use the breaking point  
that girl might get caught in the shrapnel and there might  
be the possibility that the attack might not work. I  
shouldn't risk it--not when someone else's life is in  
danger.'  
  
"Whatever asshole," Ranma replied cooly. Looking down he  
realized there was a cut on his shirt. "Hey you pig fucker.  
You messed up my shirt, now I'm definitely pissed. I highly  
suggest that you let the girl go and apologize now before I  
kick your ass."  
  
Tessai simply laughed as he let his guard down. At that  
moment, Kagero leapt up and attempted to jam a metal blade-  
-that had been hidden up her arm bracer--and slam it into  
the giant's skull. However by then, the rock skin gave him  
the protection needed to escape the attack unharmed.  
  
"Nice try," he remarked to her. "Let me get rid of this  
pesky insect and then I'll kill you." Turning to Ranma he  
proceeded to slowly twirl his lance in one hand, while  
pinning the girl down to the ground with the other.  
  
"Haha, what now? Do you not regret running away?" He  
continued to chuckle to himself as he waited for Ranma's  
reply, confident that his transformation had struck a cord  
of fear in his opponent.  
  
However, Ranma did not show sign of nor was he actually  
afraid of Tessai's menacing form. In a confident tone he  
remarked: "Feh, I ain't scared of shit. Especially a shit  
who'd use a girl as a shield. If she weren't there I'd kick  
your fucking ass to the moon. So, why don't you let her go  
and we can settle this outside?"  
  
The giant just scoffed at Ranma's audacious words. "You've  
got spirit you little punk so I'll indulge you in this  
game." He proceeded to release his grip over the girl's  
neck, a sign that he was now going to set her free and do as  
Ranma had requested.  
  
Kagero just looked at Ranma and then the giant. Seeing  
Ranma nod, she quickly covered herself back up and scurried  
over to Ranma's side. Turning to her, Ranma spoke in a low  
voice. "I want you to walk out of here slowly, once you're  
out of sight I want you to run away as fast as you can.  
Don't stop until you're to safety." She nodded numbly and  
proceeded to walk out.  
  
Ranma merely turned and followed her, but stopped and headed  
towards a small clearing away from the building. Behind  
him, Tessai followed with his lance held firmly in his grip.  
  
"I'm going to ask you one more time monster. Apologize now  
and I'll forgive you for what you've done to my shirt."  
Ranma stood tall with his feet together and his arms crossed  
over his chest. He gave the giant an amused look as he  
waited for the obvious reply of anger that such an audacious  
demand would receive.  
  
"Grr, I'm tired of this. Show me what you've got and  
perhaps... if I'm impressed enough I might just make your  
death quick." Ranma rolled his eyes.  
  
"Confident aren't ya? Okay asshole, here's something for  
you!" Ranma proceeded to walk casually over to a large rock  
about two feet wide and a foot tall. With a casual flip of  
his foot he flipped the large stone high up into the air.  
When the stone was about eye level with him, he lashed out  
with his right index finger and struck its surface.  
  
In a cloud of smoke and broken shards of rock, the large  
stone or perhaps small boulder was reduced to no more than  
dust and a multitude of smaller fragments. The giant looked  
on in surprise as Ranma smirked inwardly, sensing the fear  
emanating from his opponent.  
  
"That... is called the 'Bakusai tenketsu' or breaking point.  
It's a marvelous technique created by a tribe of Chinese  
amazons. It was originally designed to be used for mining  
work and isn't much of a technique to be used against a  
living opponent. However, on a rock monster such as  
yourself... Well, I'm sure you can imagine what would  
happen. So asshole, are you ready to die?" Ranma then  
dropped into a low combat stance, by now the long staff on  
his back had been pulled out and was held in a defensive  
posture. He casually rocked it in his grip as if daring the  
giant to move first.  
  
After the initial surprise had passed, the giant smirked.  
"That's a fancy technique I admit. But it'll do you little  
good if I kill you before you can touch me." With a grunt  
he flung his double bladed lance at Ranma. Ranma just stood  
there unmoving as it flew towards him at high velocity.  
  
At the last possible second before the blade could cleave  
him in two, Ranma gingerly lifted the tip of his staff up  
with a slight tap and deflected the blade towards the  
heavens. Then in a blur, his form disappeared leaving  
Tessai gaping at the utter speed of his foe. Before Tessai  
had a chance to fully register that he opponent was no  
longer in front of him, the monster's world erupted in pain.  
  
*Wham!* *Swish!* *Pow!*  
  
In what could only have been a fraction of a second after  
having deflected Tessai's attack, Ranma blurred into action  
to reappear at his opponent's right flank. In a two hit  
combo, he jammed the tail end of his staff into the rock  
monster's foot--eliciting a primal scream as the wooden rod  
broke through Tessai's hardened exterior like no steel  
weapon could. Then, as swiftly as the first blow had been  
delivered, Ranma pulled up and swung the same tail end  
upward, silencing Tessai's scream by breaking the rock  
golem's jaw.  
  
Then, in the same fluid motion, he continued the staff's  
upward arc and twirled it so that it came to rest in his  
left hand, with the top half nestled underneath his armpit.  
Then taking a step to the right and with a twist of the  
hips, he swung the staff again--delivering another  
devastating blow to the back of Tessai's kneecaps. The  
giant then fell to his knees, causing him to drop to Ranma's  
head level.  
  
In this blazingly fast display of martial arts skill, Tessai  
only had a brief second to wonder how it was possible that a  
mere man could even hurt him through his rock skin. After  
all, no one before could pierce his hardened flesh through  
mere physical attacks, yet here was someone who was and was  
doing so with utter ease.  
  
And so it was too bad for Tessai that he had never before  
fought a Hokuto Shinken master, because if he had, he might  
have been prepared for the fast paced and brutalizing blows  
that were capable of punching through steel and designed to  
cause an opponents inner organs to vibrate and implode on  
themselves.  
  
"Eat this. 'Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken Revised.' Fist of the  
Thousand Bitch-Slaps. Atatatatatatatata--Wata!" Tessai was  
flung back after the last slap to the face. He didn't get  
up as he felt the stone on his body begin to crack and  
crumble to his side. Across his face and body, small  
fissures could be seen leaking out narrow red tributaries of  
blood.  
  
"Uh.." the giant moaned. "You haven't beaten me yet."  
Tessai slowly began to pick himself up while Ranma watched  
on with disinterest and disdain.  
  
"Now that's where you're wrong, Monster. You're already  
dead, you just don't know it yet," came his cold reply.  
Tessai looked puzzled for a second, but after taking a step  
forward he felt a clenching pain from deep within his  
abdomen. He let out a scream as the remaining rock around  
his arms and legs began to bulge and crack. Finally  
shattering as torrents of blood, bone, and flesh exploded;  
leaving Tessai as only a torso and head--his arms and legs  
were no more, only stumps that were pouring forth blood in  
abundance.  
  
Walking up to the quivering mass of the once mighty giant,  
Ranma looked down and saw the look of absolute fear. "I  
hate to see people suffer, even a rapist fuck like you." In  
that instant, Ranma poked his finger at Tessai's temple.  
Nothing happened at first, and Tessai initially thought the  
technique didn't work. However, as Ranma proceeded to walk  
away Tessai felt his skull begin to split and in a scream of  
intense pain his head exploded into a mass of pink noodles  
and splintered rock and bone.  
  
A few seconds later there was a distinct popping sound  
coming from the heavens. Then with near super-sonic force,  
Tessai's lance--which had been flung high into the air--was  
making its return flight back to Earth, flying straight down  
like a missile. The speeding lance came down with a crash,  
piercing what remained of Tessai's body before the  
projectile's kinetic energy formed a massive crater upon its  
point of impact--reducing everything within a five-meter  
wide radius into rubble.  
  
In the shadows, an old man watched with interest while  
elsewhere in hiding, a ninja girl watched in fascination and  
horror at the ease her tormentor had been dispatched. Off  
to the distance, an effeminate looking man sniffed a flower  
and frowned ever so slightly at the loss of Tessai. 'The  
fool' he thought. 'Lord Gemma is not going to be pleased  
about this.'  
  
To be continued...  
  
--- End of Flashbacks ---  
  
Q&A  
  
Q1. Some have asked how Ranma learned about the Hokuto  
shinken.  
  
A1. Well, it'll be explained later on in the fic, that's  
all I can say. 


	2. Chapter 02 v102

An Echoes in Time Side Story Series  
  
Echoes of the Past - Story #1 - Chapter 02  
  
Version 1.2 (05/18/02)  
  
By AllWhacked  
  
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com  
  
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/  
  
--- Disclaimer ---  
  
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takakashi. The  
characters of Hokuto no Ken belong to Buronson and Tetsuo  
Hara. The characters of Ninja Scroll belong to Manga. The  
characters of Highlander belong to Davis/Panzer Inc. All  
other characters to appear are owned by their respective  
owners. So in other words, I DO NOT own shit, so please  
don't sue me because I have Zero money. Thank You.  
  
--- Warning!!! ---  
  
Anyway this is an Alterverse/Continuation fanfic with severe  
x-over tendencies.  
  
--- Note to Reader ---  
  
This is a prequel to Echoes in Time. It focuses on Ranma's  
adventures after being left behind in China, during the  
Nanban Mirror episode(anime only). Now he's stranded 300  
years in the past, stuck in the middle of Imperial China  
surrounded by husband hungry Amazons. The events that occur  
may not run in chronological order and will be based on  
flashbacks on key events on his life.  
  
Also, due to the X-Over with Ninja Scroll a few of the  
beginning scenes will follow more of less the direct  
dialogue with the movie. Although I try not to follow canon  
word for word, I felt that it was necessary to do so for at  
least a few scenes so that those who aren't familiar with  
the series can get a better idea of who and what is going  
on. Also note there will be definitely a lot of spoiler if  
you've never watched Ninja Scroll though if you haven't  
watched it by now then shame on for not already seeing it.  
  
"..." = spoken dialogue  
  
'...' = thoughts  
  
--- End Note to Reader, Start of Flashbacks ---  
  
*** Japan, Tokugawa Period (circa. 1600-1868 AD) ***  
  
Ranma was walking calmly down the dirt path that lead away  
from the small shack he had spent half the night in. After  
rescuing the ninja girl, Kagero and killing the rock giant,  
Tessai, he felt it wouldn't be prudent for him to remain  
there anymore. Besides, he had sensed that he was being  
watched; he wasn't sure from whom or from where but he had  
learned to trust his instincts and knew that remaining out  
in the open wasn't a smart thing to do.  
  
As he continued walking away, his agitated state decreased  
allowing him time to relax as he contemplated what had just  
happened.  
  
'Sheez' he thought. 'Rock monsters? Rescuing shorthaired  
chicks in distress? This totally reminds me of Nerima.  
Man, all I need now is some sword wielding punk trying to  
smite me, a dried up old mummy giving me shit, and some  
macho chick tomboy trying to poison me. Hehe.'  
  
*Snap*  
  
Ranma's senses went into immediate alert. 'Hmm, light  
footsteps. The person is pretty good at stealth though not  
good enough. Probably not one of the same guys that was  
watching me at the shack.'  
  
While Ranma continued walking, he put on a good front. He  
was calm and collected; he didn't betray a sign that he knew  
he was being followed. As he stretched his highly tuned  
senses, he could literally hear their every step, their  
every breath. The bending of grass, the beating of a heart;  
the sounds that normally couldn't be heard by normal ears  
were however reverberating in Ranma's skull.  
  
'A small man? A woman?' he questioned. He began to sniff  
the air. 'Hmm, definitely female. Perhaps the girl I  
rescued? I suppose... I guess she doesn't follow directions  
too well. Hehe.' He continued walking before he paused and  
stopped moving completely.  
  
"Girl," he said out loud. "You can stop hiding, I know  
you're out there. Don't be scared, I won't bite."  
  
There was silence as he waited. 'Stupid girl, don't just  
stand there and keep me waiting. Either come out or run  
away, I don't have time for this.'  
  
Tapping his foot impatiently as his arms now came over and  
crossed his chest. "Look, pretending that I can't sense you  
isn't going to work. You're about twenty paces to my right,  
hunched over behind a rock. Either come out or run away,  
I'm not going to wait here all night."  
  
The girl suddenly stood up. 'Hmm, I guess I'm right. It is  
the girl I rescued. I guess she wants to thank me or  
something. No matter, it is after all a martial artists'  
duty...'  
  
"I'm grateful for your help," she said in a calm voice. She  
began to approach him from the confines of the tall grass.  
"My name is Kagero of the Koga Ninja team."  
  
"I'm Ranma, Ranma Saotome. Um, are you alright?"  
  
She looked at him with a slight furling of her brow. "I'm  
not in danger anymore," she said curtly. "I must go now."  
She immediately got up and ran some distance away.  
  
Ranma just stood there with a puzzled expression on his  
face. 'Geez, what a rude chick. She thanks me but blows  
off my offer for help. Feh, women.' As he watched her run  
off, he turned around and continued to head north up the  
road.  
  
While Ranma walked away as a lone figure in the moonlit  
night, Kagero stopped in her tracks and paused to look back  
one last time. When she noticed that he was sufficiently  
far away, she took one step forward and fell to her knees;  
gripping herself in a tight ball.  
  
Now, without the eyes of strangers looking down upon her she  
let loose the flood of emotions that she had yet had time  
for to express. That night, her closets friends and  
comrades had died; in particular, Hanza had been killed. He  
was one of the few people in her life who had ever treated  
her kindly--like a normal human being and not some  
indispensable ninja.  
  
'Damn it Hanza! Why did you have to die!? Why did this  
have to happen?' she asked herself. No answers came forth  
while she continued to sob from the deep pains of grief  
welling up from within her.  
  
*** Sometime Later ***  
  
In one of the large buildings that made up the Mochizuki  
Clan compound, Kagero stalked towards the Lord Chamberlain's  
bedchambers. In the cool night air, the sound of a woman's  
passionate moans could be heard resonating out into the  
distance. As Kagero neared the structure, she knocked  
lightly against the doorframe and slid it open slightly.  
  
"Sir" she said.  
  
"What is it now?" remarked the Chamberlain between mid  
stroke, he stopped what he was doing as he remained kneeling  
there behind a naked courtesan.  
  
"It's Koga Ninja Team Member, Kagero. There's trouble."  
  
"What's happened?" he asked gruffly.  
  
"The twenty Koga Ninja led by Hanza tried to infiltrate  
Shimoda Village a while ago but they were completely  
annihilated sir."  
  
"Is this true? All of them? Who killed them?" He asked  
incredulously.  
  
"It was someone strong and skillful. That is all I can  
say..." She paused in mid sentence. "However sir, I can  
report that the killer was slain himself. Killed by a man  
named Ranma Saotome; without his assistance I wouldn't have  
made it back to report to you sir."  
  
"Hmm, I see... Ranma Saotome?" he said to himself. "Never  
heard of him. As for the Koga Ninja team they proved  
useless after all."  
  
The Chamberlain proceeded to return to what he was doing  
prior to being interrupted. The courtesan kneeling before  
him began to moan loudly as he thrust deeply between her  
gasps. Despite doing this, he continued talking.  
  
"So you are the only survivor?" he asked.  
  
"Yes" Kagero replied painfully, her eyes lowered in both  
shame and remorse.  
  
Taking a pause in talking as he collected his thoughts, the  
Chamberlain issued his order. "We can't send our men to the  
village without knowing who that killer was and what he was  
up to..." he said. "Go back and find out, that's the first  
thing. Then get back to me immediately with your report.  
Based on what you find we'll decide what to do later. Now  
Go!" he ordered.  
  
Kagero lowered her brow. 'That bastard' she thought.  
'Twenty men died and... and.' It was too painful for her to  
think further as she discontinued that thought. Closing the  
sliding door quietly, she proceeded to head back to Shimoda  
Village, intent on finding who exactly was behind the deaths  
of all her friends and damning that person to hell when she  
found them.  
  
*** On a paved road heading north ***  
  
Ranma was walking casually along the Imperial Highway as the  
full moon lit up the night sky. On his back was strapped  
the long wooden staff he had used during his fight with  
Tessai. Though he didn't need a weapon to necessarily  
defend himself, the staff acted as a visible reminder or  
warning to strangers or potential bandits that they should  
think twice before trying to rob him or give him trouble.  
  
In this world so different from the one he left in Nerima  
and even China, he had learned--often the hard way--that the  
avoidance of violence was often a greater part of the battle  
than the fight itself. So as the long wooden rod rapped  
lightly against his back, he felt the hairs on his neck  
bristle. 'Someone is following me' he thought with  
annoyance. 'Is it that girl again?... No, it's someone  
different... Maybe the one who was watching me earlier?'  
  
As he continued to walk, his eyes shifted from left to right  
as he took in his surroundings. To his left was dense  
foliage; to his right ran a tall stonewall that went along  
the entire length of the highway. Stopping in his tracks,  
Ranma listened carefully as the light footsteps of his  
unknown follower came closer.  
  
Turning around slowly, he saw a shriveled up old man  
standing above him, walking along the length of the wall.  
Narrowing his eyes on the old man, he noticed that stranger  
had a long white beard on his chin and wore on top of his  
head a large circular reed hat. In his grip was a long  
staff that was nearly one and half times his height and at  
one end of the staff were yellow links that clinked together  
as he neared him.  
  
'Hmm, a shriveled up old mummy' thought Ranma to himself as  
he gazed on the old man's form. 'First monsters and now  
this... this is definitely feeling like Nerima all over  
again.'  
  
As he waited there in silence, it was the old man who  
finally spoke first. "I came to thank you for killing that  
devil earlier tonight. You showed great skill and proved  
that he was no match for you. Why don't you join me, your  
skills would be of great use in fighting all of the others  
like him."  
  
Ranma smirked. "Sorry old man, but that was a one time  
deal. I'm not a devil hunter or a mercenary--it's not  
really my place to fight other people's battles. I just  
intervened so that I could help that poor girl there at the  
shack, I'm not here to fight monsters." Ranma proceeded to  
walk north as if that was the end of the conversation, but  
the old man however just laughed.  
  
"You act as if have a choice my fine young friend. Know  
that they won't leave you alone. You have already killed  
one of the eight Devils of Kimon."  
  
Ranma shrugged. "Yeah yeah. Whatever old man. If they  
come to give me any shit I'll send them to hell with the  
first one." He proceeded to walk off into the night as the  
darkness enveloped his form.  
  
On a stone pillar, the old man smirked to himself as he  
pulled on his long white beard. "I'm sure you will. But  
rest assured we'll meet again. Sooner than you think, Ranma  
Saotome." He then proceeded to whip out a corked gourd that  
contain some strong sake. Drinking it down he felt a light  
buzz that would help sustain him through the long night  
ahead of him.  
  
*** In a remote building in Shimoda Village ***  
  
A red-eyed owl flew quickly towards its roost in one of the  
upper floors of a large building. Landing on its perch, the  
delicate hand of Yurimaru, Lord Gemma's second in command  
grasped the birds' leg and removed a rolled up note.  
  
After unfurling the paper, he read quietly to himself.  
Then, with a thin wire held between the folds of his lips,  
he proceeded to talk out loud. On the other end of the  
wire, was Lord Gemma; the wire also held between his lips in  
a similar fashion as Yurimaru. As the two talked, the wire  
acted as a conduit between the two, passing along its length  
the sounds of their voices.  
  
"Lord Gemma" began Yurimaru. "Everything is going according  
to schedule. It will come by the Shogun of the Dark by six  
o'clock tomorrow evening."  
  
"Very well... Write to him in return that we will be back  
in three days and ensure him that there is nothing to worry  
about."  
  
"Immediately" Yurimaru replied. The thin wire then fell  
from his lips as he felt two small hands snake their way up  
along his back and rest on his shoulders. His brow furled  
in annoyance.  
  
"Isn't Benisato back yet Zakuro?" The woman behind him was  
almost pretty in a way, she had short black hair and her  
face was almost flawless except for the deep stitched scar  
running along the length of her right cheek. She leaned up  
against him as she replied to his question.  
  
"No" she said. "She is still with the others looking for  
Tessai's killer... So we're alone now, completely alone  
Yurimaru... In the time that we've been together, I have  
fallen madly in love with you, but you know that don't you?"  
There was deep sincerity in her voice as she proceeded to  
rub her hands across Yurimaru's turned back and shoulders.  
She looked downwards in a diminutive fashion as she waited  
for his response.  
  
As he turned around slowly, he kept a calm face. He was a  
handsome man, almost effeminate in a way. As Zakuro looked  
up into his eyes, she felt his right hand cup her chin and  
tilt her head up as if to kiss her. Pausing for a second,  
she leaned in and closed her eyes so as to savor their first  
kiss together. Then, she felt a jabbing pain in her abdomen  
as Yurimaru thrust his fist into her gut.  
  
With the air out of her lungs, she gasped for breath as she  
felt herself being thrown back and up against a wall.  
Looking at Yurimaru in shock, she listened in detached anger  
and jealousy at her beloved's words.  
  
"I don't need your love," he said with feelings of disdain  
in his voice. "You don't interest me, even in the  
slightest. Now go and stand watch." As he turned his back  
slowly against her, Zakuro gasped for breath as she prepared  
her rebuttal. She was furious now, and before she left to  
stand watch she was going to hit Yurimaru where it hurt  
most.  
  
"So what I've heard is true," she almost laughed out. Then  
with a humph, "have many pleasant dreams in Gemma's arms...  
but Gemma makes love to both men and women." As she started  
to walk away and head down stairs, she turned one last time  
to add one last quip. "Oh and by the way" she said with  
amused venom in her voice. "Do you know that he regularly  
has Benisato?"  
  
There was pause in Yurimaru's actions as Zakuro looked on in  
amusement. "I suppose you didn't" she said last as she  
proceeded to laugh both to herself and at Yurimaru. From  
Yurimaru's stand point, he was experiencing cold anger.  
  
'Stupid bitch' he thought. 'Benisato and Lord Gemma?  
Preposterous. That bitch, Zakuro is probably just trying to  
get under my skin. But no matter, her words mean nothing to  
me.' As he thought that, there was a hint of doubt weighing  
in on his subconscious as he began to grind against an ink  
stone in preparation of drafting a letter for the Shogun of  
the Dark. While he sat there in silence, not so far away  
Benisato had zeroed in on her prey.  
  
*** A Remote Hot Springs ***  
  
'To take a dip or not to take a dip? That is the question,'  
thought Ranma as he approached the steaming pools of a  
natural hot spring. He had traveled most of the night and  
had little sleep so far. 'Stupid rock monster' he thought  
bitterly. 'Now I have to travel for the next day or so to  
avoid those stupid devils.'  
  
Ranma wasn't scared of them but he wasn't one to look for  
trouble. 'It is through the avoidance of trouble that has  
allowed us immortals to live for as long as we have' he  
remembered his master, Sifu[1] Long once say.  
  
Cracking his neck from stiffness, and feeling a slight  
burning in his feet from walking all day he felt that he  
deserved to at least wash up and rest for a while. 'After  
all, I did save some girl today. I should reward myself.'  
Shedding his clothes and his bo staff, he sunk deep into the  
hot steaming water as he allowed its medicinal affects to  
loosen tight muscles and relieve a day and half worth of  
stress.  
  
"Ah, that hits the spot" he said aloud. He felt his eyes  
begin to close as he savored the feeling of swirling warm  
water and the occasional bubble of trapped air. As he lay  
there half asleep and half awake, he noticed through half  
lidded eyes the silhouette of a naked women.  
  
'I don't remember seeing her when I got here' he thought  
detachedly. 'I wonder, how she got here without me  
noticing?' Opening his eyes wider, the swirling mist parted  
ways enough for him to notice the intricate tattoos that  
adorned her body. Along the length of her bodice, ran a  
multitude of serpents that danced over the cleft of her  
buttocks and ran up and down her leg, arms and spine.  
  
There was a slight disturbance from his groin area as he  
continued to gaze upon her naked form. 'Stop it you sicko.  
We're not perverts so advert your eyes,' he said to himself.  
He was about to do so when he noticed the women begin to  
speak, though her face was still turned away from him.  
  
"What's your destination stranger?" The question sounded  
almost cliché in a way.  
  
"Oh, I'm heading up north to a small shrine in the  
mountains."  
  
"Really?" she said. "You know, you look a lot like someone  
I'm looking for."  
  
"Oh I do?" he replied. He felt a sense of uneasiness as he  
began to sink lower into the water. By now his senses were  
on high alert as he tried to focus on this woman and the  
possibility that she was sent out there as a lure to help  
spring a trap on him.  
  
'There's something not right about her' he thought to  
himself. Just then, he noticed something moving along her  
back. 'What the fuck?... Did that tattoo just move?'  
  
Ranma continued to stare as he watched the serpents tattooed  
on her body begin to shift and move; changing from two  
dimensional to three dimensional life size snakes that  
swarmed around her body.  
  
"You killed Tessai, and for that you must die" she said  
calmly. As she finished her statement, Ranma noticed that  
her skin was now clear of tattoos. Instead of being on her  
body, the snakes were now dangling around her with their  
hissing heads turned towards him.  
  
'Ah Fuck!' he thought as the snakes suddenly lunged out  
towards him. He felt a light knick in his shoulder; a ninja  
star had been thrown from above and had pierced his flesh.  
Ignoring the slight pain, he acted quickly and slashed out  
towards the water with his arm; creating an invisible wave  
of air that caused a wall of warm water to form. The snakes  
passed through the wall with nary a problem, however as they  
exited they noticed that their target wasn't there.  
  
'Where could he be?' thought Benisato. 'He couldn't have  
eluded me that easily.' Looking left and right, she didn't  
notice the small ripple of air as a beam of bright blue  
light lit up the spot where Ranma had been.  
  
In a dazzling brightness that took Benisato by surprise, her  
snakes were incinerated by the heat of the blast that caused  
water to steam and rock to either shatter or turn black.  
She in turn was knocked off her perch on a rock by the  
resounding shockwave. She fell back first into the water  
and she immediately began to sputter for breath as she spat  
out water and began to rub her eyes to regain her vision.  
  
As she got up waist way into the water, she felt a light tap  
on the back of her neck.  
  
"I'm back here Medusa. Try anything funny and I'll fry you  
like I did your snakes." Ranma was standing behind her with  
his right arm outstretched, the other arm was grasping it as  
he began to funnel his ki into a tight ball in his palm.  
  
The women cautiously turned around and gasped as she saw a  
softball sized sphere of blue light floating in the man's  
hand. She then shifted her vision and noticed the tiger and  
dragon brandings on his underarms. 'Shaolin?' she thought.  
  
Then smirking to herself. "Who are you? Who sent you  
here?" she queried. In her mind she asked herself 'A man of  
Shaolin here? Why? A man of his skill coming here by  
chance... it doesn't seem likely.'  
  
Ranma unfurled his brow as he heard her queries. "You're in  
no position to ask questions lady, but I'll indulge you.  
I'm Ranma Saotome and I'm on a religious pilgrimage to a  
temple up north. That is all you need to know." He paused  
as he thought for a second.  
  
"Now tell me" he began. "Who are you? Who sent you?" He  
didn't receive an answer as she laughed and her skin began  
to fall upon itself. Looking at this gruesome sight, he  
noticed her skin had taken on the scaly complexion of a  
snake.  
  
'Cast away skin' he thought. 'I should have figured a snake  
monster could do that.' He proceeded to walk back over to  
his clothes and staff as he pulled from his shoulder, a  
large ninja star jetting out of his skin.  
  
Pulling it out, he barely grunted in pain as he fingered its  
edge. 'Who threw this?' he wondered. The answer came to  
him from a voice from above.  
  
"That's her cast off skin. She shed it like a snake and got  
away..." Remarked the old man Ranma had seen earlier.  
Yawning. "Well well, what a bunch of strange creatures they  
are."  
  
Ranma looked none amused as he hefted up the ninja star and  
pointed it towards the old man. "I assume that this was  
your doing," he asked.  
  
The old man nodded. "You owe me no thanks. I didn't want  
you to die, that's all." Ranma rolled his eyes.  
  
'He hits me with a ninja star and I should thank him. If he  
wasn't some pathetic old fart I'd drown him for talking such  
utter nonsense.' Grasping the ninja star in his hand, he  
held it up and crushed it in his palm. Turning the sturdy  
steel into a mass of bent metal. The old man in turn looked  
on with a raised eye.  
  
As Ranma proceeded to walk back towards his pants and shirt,  
he turned his head and began to question the old man. "So  
tell me" he said. "Who are these eight devils of Kimon?  
I've never heard of them."  
  
The old man smiled and began to thumb his white beard.  
"They are a group of ninja who work for the so called Shogun  
of the Dark. He plans to rebuild the house of Toyotomi, the  
ex-rulers of Japan. He may yet see this ambition realized.  
His is the greatest threat to the Tokugawa Shogunate  
Government, his power is supported by the eight devils of  
Kimon."  
  
Ranma pondered this. 'I don't remember this in history  
class' he thought idly. 'Then again, I never did pay  
attention.' Looking back up to the old man. "So.. what are  
they up to for this fight for Mochizuki."  
  
"That is exactly what I came here to find out... Why don't  
you work for me for a hundred pieces of gold?" The old man  
proceeded to leap from rock to rock as he descended the  
twenty-foot high cliff bluff. Looking at Ranma he continued  
to ask, "well my friend, what do you think of that  
proposal?"  
  
Ranma immediately baulked at the offer. "Sorry old man,  
like I said before, I'm no mercenary and I don't fight other  
people's battles. Anyway, if you're a government spy why  
don't you get someone from the government to help you? I'm  
just a wandering vagabond, not a patriot."  
  
Ranma proceeded to walk over to his belongings and produced  
a towel. As he dried himself off, the old man just frowned  
and shook his head. "I would prefer to do that, but  
unfortunately my team was attacked by the Eight Devils of  
Kimon. Only I survived to make it to Mochizuki." he  
solemnly stated.  
  
Ranma revealed no hint of emotion on his face as he took in  
this information. 'To help or not to help? That's the real  
question,' he pondered. Part of him wanted to assist in  
this battle between this Shogun of the Dark and the Tokugawa  
government, but the other part of him realized that by  
intervening in such a key event such as this, he might  
disturb the flow of time and screw up his future.  
  
"Sorry old man," Ranma finally said. "I already told you,  
I'm not helping. Why don't you contact the local authority  
for assistance? This isn't my fight."  
  
The old man snorted at that. "But that is where you're  
wrong. You've already killed one of them and nearly  
another. You've gotten their attention and more will come  
after you. You'll have to fight them sooner or later and  
even with your skill, you'll die on your own but together we  
might succeed. So why don't you join me... it's a nice  
offer isn't it?"  
  
Ranma put on a skeptical look on his face. 'He's lying  
about something' he realized. 'But not about those Devils  
of Kimon. Damn it, what should I do?' As he contemplated  
his options, he finally resorted to what he knew best, which  
was avoidance.  
  
"Look old man, I'll pass on the offer. If the Devils of  
Kimon come after me, then so be it. But I'm not going to  
get myself involved in some business with the government.  
That's for you guys to deal with and for me to stay out of."  
Ranma proceeded to get dressed, while the old man just shook  
his head.  
  
"What a pity for the both of us" remarked the old man  
offhandedly. "I mean, such a talented young man throwing  
away his life like this."  
  
Ranma interrupted. "Whatever old man. I see your lips are  
moving but you're not making any sense. Stop trying to talk  
in riddles and get to the point. I don't have time for  
this."  
  
"Hmph, you young people. Such lack of patience. But, as I  
was saying, what a waste of a life. You're practically  
throwing it away."  
  
"As if old man" scoffed Ranma. "I'm a lot older than I look  
and who are you to say I'm wasting my life. You're just  
some stupid government spy, whose team got killed because  
they couldn't handle some measly rock monster and snake  
demon."  
  
The old man ignored this jibe at his pride. "True" he said,  
"But they died in honor of defending their country. You on  
the other hand will die slowly and in vain. For you see,  
that ninja star you crushed, the tips of it were coated in a  
special poison. It won't kill you instantly but without the  
antidote you'll die in less than a day. I know of a cure  
and I'll share it with you upon completion of the mission  
along with the 100 pieces of gold I promised you. Does that  
sound fare?"  
  
Ranma was getting a little angry. 'So that's what he was  
hiding. Well, hahah. The jokes on him. I'm an immortal.  
Hmm, now how can I use this to my advantage? I'd like to  
burst his bubble, but how?' He began to feel a burning  
sensation in the pits of his stomach as a glob of blood  
rushed up his throat and into his mouth. He had to cover  
his lips with his hand to keep it from getting all over him.  
  
'That bastard, now my mouth taste like vomit. Okay, I was  
just going to play a little joke on him, but now it's going  
to be serious.' Ranma proceeded to press a finger under his  
right underarm, pressing gently against the Anbaku-kou  
pressure point, designed to help resist poisons and toxins.  
  
With his clothes on completely, Ranma's image blurred and he  
appeared next to the old man. Stretching out a single  
finger towards the man's chest, Ranma hit his Zenha pressure  
point, which immediately caused him to stop breathing.  
Then, for good measure he hit the Domei pressure point at  
the back of the head that removed the old man's eyesight.  
  
Seeing the old man begin to gasp for breath, Ranma proceeded  
to talk calmly as he relayed what he had just done.  
  
"Don't you dare try to manipulate me old man, I'm not some  
puppet that you think you can play around with. I just hit  
two unique pressure points on your body. I'm sure you can  
already guess which two. I suggest that you stay calm or  
you might just use up all the oxygen left in your lungs."  
  
As he saw the old man begin to calm down and halt in the  
gagging motion, Ranma continued. "Now you're going to  
listen and I hope you listen good. I'll release the lock on  
your breathing in about a minute, but not before I finish  
with my demands. One, don't fuck with me or I guarantee I  
will kill you. Two, seeing how important this is to you and  
the Tokugawa government, I decided to change my mind and  
help. Three, I suggest you don't try to double cross me  
because you know what, aside from those two pressure points  
I also hit another one."  
  
"You won't feel it at first, but what it does is constrict  
the opening of your stomach so that no food can pass through  
it. I normally use it on obese people who can stand to lose  
a few pounds. However in your case, you'll probably die in  
a few days, wasting away as you try to gorge yourself with  
food but I suggest you don't do that. An enemy of my master  
tried to do that and he ended up causing his esophagus to  
explode as the food got trapped between his windpipe and his  
stomach. Anyway, nod your head that you won't double cross  
me and I might, just might let you live after this mission."  
  
The old man nodded as he began to turn purple from lack of  
breath. Feeling a light tap, he could breath again but  
couldn't see. "Oh and one last thing, before I return your  
sight I just wanted to hear you promise me. I'll take it on  
your word, but if you fuck with me you will die and die a  
miserable death that is worst than starvation."  
  
As the old man gasped for breath, he agreed and promised  
Ranma. Feeling satisfied that he had scared the old man  
enough, he pushed the remaining pressure point to return his  
vision. The old man looked on then blinked and double  
blinked. He was amazed at what had happened.  
  
"You are very skilled indeed" he remarked. "My name is  
Dakuan, I would ask to be friends but I see that I've  
already gotten on your bad side."  
  
Ranma laughed at that. "Yeah old man, but if you continue  
to kiss my ass I might just let you live. Don't let it  
cross your mind that I wouldn't mind laughing at you from  
hell if it meant taking you there with me."  
  
The old man laughed in return. "You truly are a devil,  
Ranma Saotome."  
  
Ranma just shrugged. "Perhaps, but no more a devil than  
you."  
  
To be continued...  
  
--- End of Flashbacks ---  
  
Glossary:  
  
[1] Sifu means master or teacher in Chinese.  
  
Q&A  
  
Q1. Some might ask how Ranma became Shaolin.  
  
A1. The answer to that is I'll explain later, just like how  
he learned the Hokuto shinken. 


	3. Chapter 03 v101

An Echoes in Time Side Story Series  
  
Echoes of the Past - Story #1 - Chapter 03  
  
Version 1.1 (2/10/02)  
  
By AllWhacked  
  
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com  
  
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/  
  
--- Disclaimer ---  
  
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takakashi. The  
characters of Hokuto no Ken belong to Buronson and Tetsuo  
Hara. The characters of Ninja Scroll belong to Manga. The  
characters of Highlander belong to Davis/Panzer Inc. All  
other characters to appear are owned by their respective  
owners. So in other words, I DO NOT own shit, so please  
don't sue me because I have Zero money. Thank You.  
  
--- Warning!!! ---  
  
Anyway this is an Alterverse/Continuation fanfic with severe  
x-over tendencies.  
  
--- Note to Reader ---  
  
This is a prequel to Echoes in Time. It focuses on Ranma's  
adventures after being left behind in China, during the  
Nanban Mirror episode(anime only). Now he's stranded 300  
years in the past, stuck in the middle of Imperial China  
surrounded by husband hungry Amazons. The events that occur  
may not run in chronological order and will be based on  
flashbacks on key events on his life.  
  
Also, due to the X-Over with Ninja Scroll a few of the  
beginning scenes will follow more of less the direct  
dialogue with the movie. Although I try not to follow canon  
word for word, I felt that it was necessary to do so for at  
least a few scenes so that those who aren't familiar with  
the series can get a better idea of who and what is going  
on. Also note there will be definitely a lot of spoiler if  
you've never watched Ninja Scroll though if you haven't  
watched it by now then shame on for not already seeing it.  
  
"..." = spoken dialogue  
  
'...' = thoughts  
  
--- End Note to Reader, Start of Chapter ---  
  
*** Shimota Village ***  
  
"Benisato, who is this Ranma Saotome?" inquired Yurimaru as  
he kneeled before a low ornate table.  
  
"I do not know..." came her reply. "He has the markings of  
a Shaolin Master and claims to have been heading north on a  
religious pilgrimage. That is all I know."  
  
"I see... So, is he truly a wandering monk or something  
else?"  
  
"I'm not absolutely sure, though I believe he had assistance  
from one of the spies working for the Tokugawa Government."  
  
"Are you sure of this?"  
  
"That I am," she answered back.  
  
Yurimaru took pause as he digested this newest bit of  
information. 'A Shaolin Master and a government spy?' he  
thought. 'One capable of killing Tessai in a single blow,  
the other...'  
  
He left that last thought wander as he furled his brow.  
"Why didn't you kill him?" he finally replied.  
  
Benisato looked at Yurimaru's turned back with an expression  
of disdain. "He was too powerful," she answered simply.  
  
"That's no excuse," he shot back--lassoing a thin thread  
across Benisato's arm as if ready to fry her with an  
electrical charge. As his voice calmed, "though if he is  
working for the government," he then added. "He'll show up  
soon enough. Next time kill him, is that understood?"  
  
Benisato grinned evilly to herself. "I don't need your  
advice, though perhaps you should go after him yourself if  
you don't believe me." She laughed inwardly at the imagined  
surprise on Yurimaru's face when he would encounter their  
latest foe. 'Yurimaru doesn't even know the true extent of  
this man's power; that I made sure of,' she added-  
-remembering how she had neglected to inform Yurimaru of  
Ranma's ability to fire ki-blasts and to seemingly disappear  
from plain sight.  
  
Unbeknownst to Benisato's musings, Yurimaru knew enough of  
Ranma's skill to know that they were not dealing with any  
ordinary martial artist. 'Stupid bitch,' he thought. 'I  
should just kill her now--' He stopped that thought when he  
heard Benisato's next words.  
  
"Now, if you don't mind," she began. "I'll tell Lord Gemma  
in bed later on, Yurimaru. Do you mind?"  
  
"Sleep well," he responded mechanically; his voice calm and  
void of his inner feelings of anger and jealousy that arose  
from Benisato's jibe. 'Sleep well indeed,' he silently  
added, his brow narrowing as he traced Benisato's retreating  
form through a veil of narrowed slits.  
  
*** On a Small Boat Heading towards Shimota Village***  
  
"Ranma, there is something that I've been thinking about,"  
began Dakuan as he used his long staff to push the small  
boat through the calm waters.  
  
Ranma lay on his back as he closed is eyes; he was tired and  
was in no mood to talk. However despite this, he grunted  
automatically in response.  
  
Hearing the grunt, Dakuan continued. "I was wondering," he  
tentatively began. "I had heard rumors of a man in China  
who was marked as a Shaolin Master and who could perform  
amazing feats... performing such things as shiatsu that was  
on a level unheard of before. A single touch from this  
man's finger was rumored to be able to fell a man in an  
instant or grant new life to the crippled or dying. They  
also say that he along with a group of powerful martial  
artists brought an end to the reign of terror of a Dark  
Warlord calling himself the Fist of the North Star. That  
warlord was a powerful martial artist who was equally as  
evil; they say he possessed the power and ambition to topple  
even the mighty Qing government."  
  
The old man paused as he heard Rama grunt in  
acknowledgement. "So what I was wondering was... by any  
chance are you this man of Shaolin--the man who killed  
Himuro Gemma?" Dakuan then added.  
  
"No..." responded Ranma in turn with his arms now crossed  
behind his head. "That was some other man, he though was  
the true Fist of the North Star," he then added as he took  
in a deep breath--his eyes gazing at the full brilliance of  
the hanging moon while his mind set itself upon a distant  
memory of a time long past, a time when he once could have  
called himself such a man.  
  
*** Flashback to Sometime in the Past ***  
  
"Master! Let me fight him," cried out Ranma as he stared at  
the dark cloaked figure whose eyes shown with an evil gleam.  
Ranma's heart skipped a beat in fear; he had never felt this  
scared in his entire life. Steeling himself, he suppressed  
the urge to run.  
  
'What the hell, Ranma? Get some control over yourself,' he  
thought.  
  
Ignoring his instincts, he reached deep within himself to  
find his inner confidence. He felt a new surge of energy, a  
sensation that made him feel as if he could take on the  
world and win.  
  
As his gaze began to sweep across his opponent and down to  
the ground before him, strewn about the courtyard of the  
temple were a dozen or so broken and mutilated bodies. They  
were fellow monks who had died trying to fend off the  
advance of this unknown stranger; a stranger whose presence  
caused a strong buzzing sensation to form at the back of  
Ranma's skull. It was a sensation similar to the feeling he  
got whenever he was within close proximity to his master.  
  
"A fellow immortal," Ranma spoke in a low whisper.  
  
Master Long, nodded as he placed a restraining hand on  
Ranma's shoulder. "That he is Grasshopper. He is also a  
Nanto Sei Ken[2] Master."  
  
Ranma let out a gasp. "But master, how can that be? The  
Nanto are meant to guard the emperor's palace, why are they  
now sent to go after us?"  
  
Master Long, looked just a perturbed by Ranma's outburst as  
he watched more young monks surround the temple's attacker.  
As the group of forty or so disciples began to circle the  
Nanto Master, Master Long spoke loud so that all could hear.  
  
"Stranger! Why have you come to attack us? We mean you no  
harm, we are merely priest who wish to pray to Buddha and  
practice the sutras in peace."  
  
The enemy turned to Long and gave him a sinister smile. "I  
have no grievances with the monks of this temple, it is only  
you that I want. I am here to challenge you, Fist of the  
North Star."  
  
There was a startled gasp from the crowd. All looked upon  
Long in disbelief, all except for Ranma whom Long had been  
training in secret to be the 54th successor of the Hokuto  
Shin Ken. As the startled gasps faded, Long nodded his  
head.  
  
"I was once known as the Fist of the North Star, a member of  
the Hokuto Souke ruling line. I once had power, fame and  
riches, but I gave up that part of my life long ago. I had  
given up that pursuit and the ties that bonded me when I  
found Buddha and with my fellow brothers we formed this  
temple. I am no longer the Fist of the North Star, that  
title belonged to someone else who died a long time ago."  
  
The man looked at Long with a sneer on his lip. "Do not try  
to hide behind those golden robes of yours, immortal.  
Priest or not, you are the key to fulfilling the prophecy of  
the ancients."  
  
Long calmly nodded at this. "I see, so you think that by  
killing me and gaining my powers that you will finally unite  
both north and south?"  
  
The man let out a low laugh. "Yes," he chuckled. "That and  
more... when I become master of both styles there will be no  
one strong enough to challenge me; no practitioner of the  
Nanto Sei Ken is as powerful as I and by finally killing the  
last practitioner of the Hokuto Shin Ken, there will simply  
be no force to oppose my will. The fact that the last  
practitioner is also an immortal serves as an added bonus;  
now I can add your powers to mine as well." The man turned  
to Long as his eyes glowed a fiery red.  
  
As this went on, Long looked unperturbed by the demonic  
sight before him. Instead he narrowed his eyes as he  
scrutinized his opponent. "So Nanto?" he began. "Who was  
your master? I recognize your style, it's that of the Nanto  
Houou Ken[3]. I know of only one master of that art and he  
is a very good friend of mine. I know that he would not  
willingly teach his style to someone of the likes of you."  
  
This statement seemed to bring a smile to the man's face.  
"You're quite right, he would not teach me and for that he  
had to die. I rather enjoyed the look on his face when I  
took his head." At that, the man's aura exploded around  
him, a sickly pinkish-red glow emanated from his body as  
wisps of energy caused the surrounding air to churn and the  
ground beneath his feet to buckle and crack. To those monks  
still left surrounding him, they were all forced to flee  
some distance, less they be eaten alive by the man's  
powerful aura.  
  
"I had suspected something like this," replied Long as he  
stood with Ranma by his side. "For no true Nanto would ever  
break the sacred pact between our two clans, for the north  
and south know better than to fight each other--knowing that  
they would destroy the world in the process. So tell me,  
Maijin[3]... who are you really?"  
  
The man sneered. "Very perceptive of you, I suspect however  
that you know who I really am. But because we are family...  
I want to make absolutely sure that you know full well who  
the man it is that will kill you. I am Lord Himuro Gemma,  
the last of the Ryuuou Hokuto Souke line. It was your  
family who banished my ancestors from China--forcing us to  
Japan. Your people took away our land and denied us our  
rightful place as the true Fists of the North Star. So,  
here I am now to avenge them, need I say more?"  
  
Long seemed to take the news in stride. "You are right, I  
had suspected as much." He brought a hand to his neck as he  
scratched his ear. "So, I suppose it's out of the question  
for us to simply talk things over a cup of tea like  
civilized folks?"  
  
"You've got that right, Long. I am here to kill you."  
  
Ranma grit his teeth as he heard this. "How dare you!" he  
cried out. "Damn it! I'll kill him." He was about to leap  
forward to take on Gemma, but Long grabbed him forcibly and  
restrained his movements. He then felt his legs go weak and  
his vision dimming. As he was about to fall, he felt two of  
his fellow disciples grab him while he listened to Long's  
soothing words. As he fell all that escaped Ranma lips when  
he turned to his master was the word, "why?"  
  
"I'm sorry to do this to you, Grasshopper," spoke Long as he  
began to remove himself of his long robe--preparing himself  
for a fight. "I had wished we had more time to spend  
together, you and I. You were like the son that I never had  
and I am proud of you; you were my chance to at last fulfill  
my filial duties and pass on the knowledge of our school to  
a worthy heir. I had waited more than half my life to find  
a student such as you and in a few years I would like to  
have offered you my quickening."  
  
"But alas, my families troubled past has caught up to me and  
has brought pain and suffering to our peaceful sanctuary.  
Know that there is nothing in your power that you could have  
done to prevent this; you as well as I know that Gemma is  
simply too powerful for you or even I now to defeat, but I  
do not regret knowing that I will die."  
  
"So, let my death not poison your heart, Grasshopper. I  
would not wish this nor would it be befitting of a true  
master of the Hokuto Shin Ken to be overcome by such grief."  
As Long placed one last comforting hand on Ranma's face,  
tears streaked forth from Ranma's eyes, as all that he could  
do was stare and watch his master's retreating backside.  
  
"Goodbye, Grasshopper. May my soul be reincarnated once  
more so that maybe we shall meet again... perhaps next time  
with me, the student and you as the teacher." A warm smile  
was on Long's face, as he called forth commands to his  
fellow monks.  
  
"Everyone, please return to the confines of the temple.  
Gemma cannot attack you on holy ground so you will be safe  
there. Remember, I want none of you to interfere in this  
fight, no matter what the circumstances."  
  
The surrounding monks listened and paused for a second at  
the orders. All were unsure of what to make of their  
master's commands, but none were willing to disobey him in  
this time of crisis. As those who were well, aided those  
who had been injured, the Shaolin Monks hurried inside the  
large wooden doors of their temple as they stood watch at  
the fight that was about to commence.  
  
For Ranma, he lay paralyzed as he tried in vain to move his  
body. However, despite his efforts, his master had  
inflicted a series of complex tsubo[5] attacks, meant to  
disable him for at least the duration of the fight, if not  
longer.  
  
Ranma mentally swore as he watched the titanic battle begin.  
His mind screaming as to why his master would do this to  
him, why he would deny him a chance to defend him, to die  
for him.  
  
As he watched the fight with tears in his eyes, he silently  
swore to himself that one day he would avenge his master and  
make that bastard, Gemma pay for what he done here today.  
  
*** Flashback to Some Years Later ***  
  
"So, it's Long's student and some of his lackeys come to  
avenge his master," laughed Gemma as he sat on his throne.  
Surrounding him, were an army of highly skilled foot  
soldiers and generals who were eyeing the group that had  
somehow made their way through a deluge of traps and inner  
guard bosses in their attempt to gain access to Gemma's  
fortress.  
  
As the atmosphere thickened, one member of the weary group  
of martial artists stepped forward to address Gemma. "I'm  
glad to see that you remember me, Gemma. It would have hurt  
my feelings if you didn't. In any case, do you have any  
last words before I kill you."  
  
Gemma smirked at the audacious decree. "Many have tried,  
but none have succeeded."  
  
'Famous last words indeed,' remarked Ranma as he cocked his  
head to the side as a signal to his group of comrades to  
attack: five of them consisted of the elite members of the  
remaining primary Nanto Sei Ken schools, and two from the  
Gento Gou Ken[6] school--a school solely dedicated to the  
personal protection of the Qing Emperor.  
  
As those members saw the silent command, all rushed forward  
dealing with Gemma's guards--cutting through them with ease,  
as the guards served nothing more than the task of being  
mere cannon fodder to their attacks.  
  
With the two Gento Gou Ken Masters, blasting off furious  
arrays of highly charged ki-blasts that incinerated the  
first ranks of soldiers in their paths, the Nanto Sei Ken  
Masters in turn jumped high above them as they rained down  
energized wisps of ki that sliced through heavily muscled  
and armored men, turning their foes into ribbons of flesh  
and bone. As the fight ensued and more and more of Gemma's  
men fell to the onslaught, in the middle of this pallet of  
broken bodies and bloody limbs, Ranma and Gemma stared at  
one another with unblinking eyes. Neither man flinched in  
the wake of gut wrenching screams and the horrific scenes of  
violence and bloodshed.  
  
Finally, as the minutes passed and the room now streamed  
thick with human blood and shattered remains, Ranma's group  
assembled around their leader looking a little more worse  
than wear. Some had limps while others had gashes and cuts,  
but none were too injured that they could not fight any  
further. With the air now thick with death and the smell of  
exposed guts and intestines that created a rancid odor,  
feelings of nausea passed through seven of the remaining  
survivors. However, despite the smell and the carnage  
around them, none of this seemed to affect Gemma or Ranma as  
the two men stared daggers at one another; each man sizing  
the other up for the ultimate battle that would decide the  
fate of China and the ultimately the world.  
  
"Everyone," intoned Ranma once a noticeable pause of silence  
had passed. "I thank you for your assistance, but as we  
agreed Gemma is mine. In this fight, no one may interfere.  
As per the rules of the game, I have explained them to you  
and all of you know what will happen when one of my 'kind'  
is killed. I suggest that you leave here now and get a good  
distance away. Whether I win or lose here today, the  
quickening will utterly destroy what remains of this castle.  
So leave! And know that you have my thanks and know that I  
will not fail you."  
  
The others paused as Ranma said this. They all knew that in  
the end, it was only Ranma who stood a chance at defeating  
Gemma. All had helped in the man's training, all knew that  
in the end, Ranma was their best chance in defeating this  
monster who threatened to topple the Qing government-  
-threatening to bring about a reign of terror that none  
hoped to imagine.  
  
Some however, still felt pangs of guilt and anger at Ranma's  
decree. Some had lost family and friends to Gemma, some had  
lost all that they had cherished or ever loved to this man.  
None of them there that day lacked a reason for not wanting  
to disregard Ranma's orders and do in the monster  
themselves. However, it was from loyalty, respect, and  
absolute trust in the man who had brought them together that  
made them heed his words.  
  
As each member took a tentatively stepped back towards the  
exit, the chamber room finally grew silent as their steps  
passed out of range of Ranma and Gemma's hearing. With a  
silent trail of wind blowing through a broken and cracked  
window, the flapping of a curtain was the only sound that  
resounded in the great hall.  
  
With the two powerful men finally now able to engage in the  
age-old ritual of the 'Game,' a boiling of human blood began  
to steam at their feet as each man's aura flared to life and  
a battle between two titans began.  
  
Gemma leapt forward, trying to catch Ranma off guard for a  
quick kill. As he made the distance, he met nothing but air  
and smoke. 'What!?' his mind cried. "How could he have  
eluded me? I didn't even see him move," he muttered.  
  
"That's because I teleported," calmly replied Ranma from  
right behind Gemma's back. Then in an intense blur of  
flying hands, Ranma ripped into Gemma's backside as his foe  
felt the stinging pain of fingers being jammed between  
muscles and joints.  
  
Gemma whirled around, trying to repel his opponents attack.  
Yet, just as before, he met nothing but air and smoke.  
  
"Are you surprised, Gemma?" remarked Ranma some distance  
away. "I picked that trick up from a Hindu mystic. It's  
amazing what one can do when he puts his mind to it." As he  
said this, Gemma felt an intense pain build up in his  
shoulders and knees, with the majority coming from his right  
shoulder. With his left arm gripping his right shoulder, he  
struggled desperately to press counter acting tsubo points  
in an effort to relieve the building up stress he was  
feeling from within his body.  
  
"Sorry Gemma," chimed Ranma as he crossed his arms at his  
opponent. "That's not going to work. You see I didn't use  
pressure points on you. Instead, I infused a small ball of  
concentrated chi inside each point of your body that I  
pressed. Since the chi is mine, I can control it with my  
will and right now, my will is telling the ball of chi in  
your right shoulder to make its way down your arm and into  
your palm."  
  
As Ranma said that, a large bulge of compressed muscle and  
sinew warped itself around the moving ball of chi in Gemma's  
arm. The man began to scream in utter pain as the ball  
burned his body from inside, eating at bone and flesh as it  
progressed downward. Finally, when the chi ball had reached  
Gemma's wrist, there was a momentary pause and then an  
explosion of light. Ranma had manipulated the chi to  
splinter off into five directions, pushing through the last  
bits of flesh that made up Gemma's fingers.  
  
Then slowly and methodically, the stray strands of chi  
recombined themselves and began the slow return trek back up  
Gemma's arm. In their path, bone and flesh that had escaped  
its initial onslaught were eaten away further, leaving  
Gemma's arm as nothing more than a hollow husk of loose  
skin. Finally as the bulge in Gemma's arm reached his  
shoulder, the ball of chi began to grow bigger and bigger as  
Gemma's body fought desperately to confine it.  
  
Gemma let out a loud scream. It was so loud and so long  
that his voice grew silent from lack of breath, and by the  
time he had a chance to look down, his right arm was no  
more. It was now merely a stump that ran just short of  
passing through his torso and killing the man instantly.  
When the burning had stopped, Gemma dropped to his knees as  
he used his last good arm to hold himself up. Panting,  
Genma listened as Ranma began to taunt him in just  
retribution for his crimes done to Ranma's master.  
  
"Well, normally I would kill my opponents quickly. I  
believe one should not torture others, even if they are your  
enemy. However, in your case I'll make an exception. After  
all, you never extended the same courtesy to my master." An  
image of Long on his hands and knees came flashing into  
Ranma's mind as he relived the brief memory of Gemma slowly  
cutting apart the defeated man from limb to limb. Ranma  
grimaced as he looked at the once mighty, Gemma's broken  
form.  
  
"The ancients say that benevolence is a virtue and you know  
what, I think so too. So rather than kill you in a slow  
manner like you did my master, I will simply expedite your  
death in the quickest way I know how." In that instant he  
brought up an open fist and squeezed his palm tight causing  
the balls of chi implanted through Gemma's body to all  
explode at once.  
  
From small pours in Gemma's body, thin golden beams of light  
emitted briefly before his body exploded into a mass of  
blood and gore. In the remains, all that was left was  
Gemma's torso and his still attached head; his body was now  
planted face first in a three-inch pool of blood.  
  
Ranma watched this sight and saw that Gemma still had some  
life in him. The idle thought of simply letting the bastard  
drown in his own blood came to mind, but he quashed that  
idea as he felt his benevolent side rise to conscience.  
Walking forward, Ranma kicked Gemma's body right side up and  
looked upon his enemy's red painted face. It was a face  
smeared completely in blood, covering everything except for  
two wide eyes devoid of any humanity that Ranma would admit  
to himself were there.  
  
"Is that fear or perhaps shock on your face?" remarked  
Ranma. "Are you so surprised that someone you once thought  
too beneath for you to kill is now standing above you, ready  
to end your life?"  
  
There was no response from Gemma's part as he spat out some  
blood that had made its way into his mouth. At the sight,  
Ranma simply shrugged his shoulders. "No matter," he began.  
"I'll know soon enough when I take your head." He then  
brought his foot down upon, Gemma's genitals, causing the  
man to grit his teeth wide in pain as he felt Ranma's heavy  
foot crush his penis and testicles.  
  
Then, in a flash Gemma's world went black. Ranma had driven  
his fist through Gemma's teeth--breaking his way through the  
man's jaw and deeply implanting itself into Gemma's oral  
cavity.  
  
"Eat this!" cried Ranma as an intense burst of blue light  
exploded through Gemma's eyes, nose, and mouth. The  
immortal's head was consumed by the blast that lasted nearly  
thirty seconds. When the ki-attack finally ended, Ranma  
looked down and saw only a smoldering stump of a neckline  
and behind where Gemma's would have been, was now a large  
pumpkin sized hole that extended deep within the castle's  
bowels.  
  
As Ranma stood above Gemma's now decapitated torso, he felt  
the initial rush of blood funnel over his feet then down  
through the three-foot wide hole he created in the ground.  
Soon after the familiar rippling sensation of electrical  
energy began to course through Ranma's body as he was  
overtaken by the rejuvenating, but also destructive force of  
an immortal's quickening.  
  
Screaming at the sheer joy of pain, pleasure, and mental  
sorrow that exploded through both his mind and body, the  
world briefly turned black as the castle top exploded into a  
cloud of shattered stone and marble. In the exposed sky  
above, storm clouds gathered and formed while lighting  
struck the castle's tower in quick succession of one  
another. The powerful charges of electricity traced their  
way through jutting pieces of conductive metal that caused  
rocks and stonework to explode and wood to burn in their  
wake.  
  
Finally, with the energy and life essence of countless  
immortals felled by Gemma and the immortals before him,  
entering Ranma's body, the man stood tall as he was deluged  
with flashes of memories and feelings that were not all his  
own. With the quickening at its apex, Ranma let out a  
primal roar while jets of blood mixed in with the now  
pouring rain, to stream upward in defiance against gravity.  
Soon, the castle began to shake as the undue stress  
threatened to topple the structure and the mountainside  
foundation beneath it.  
  
Ranma opened his eyes wide as they glowed blue in the  
starless night. "I've avenged you, master," he finally  
spoke as he slowly made his way back to his campsite, near  
the foot of Gemma's now destroyed fortress.  
  
*** End Flashback ***  
  
"Ranma... Ranma! Are you listening to me, boy?" cried  
Dakuan as he covered his mouth in realization that he might  
give away their position.  
  
Ranma shook his head as he cleared his mind of his last  
battle with Himuro Gemma. 'I wonder how you're doing in  
Hell, Gemma?' he idly wondered.  
  
As Dakuan regained control from his outburst, he set himself  
back to the task of pushing their small boat through the  
marsh. Dakuan then began to address Ranma with the same  
question that he had been asking not more than a minute  
before.  
  
"Ranma?" began Dakuan.  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"Did you hear what I just said?"  
  
"Nah, I didn't. Was it important or something?"  
  
Dakuan simply deadpanned. "You stupid boy pay attention.  
This is important so I'll repeat this one more time. I was  
wondering that if you're not this man from China--this Fist  
of the North Star--then I suppose it is he who now leads of  
the Eight Devils of Kimon."  
  
Ranma paused. "Feh, I highly doubt that old man. There is  
no other Fist of the North Star. That I'm certain of."  
  
"Perhaps," replied back Dakuan. "Maybe my intelligence  
gathering is flawed, but that is what the leader of that  
ninja group calls himself; it's that or Himuro Gemma."  
  
Ranma visibly stiffened at the name. 'Himuro Gemma? That's  
impossible!' he thought. 'I killed that bastard myself; I  
took his head, I took his quickening. No immortal can  
survive that. This must be some imposter, probably someone  
left over from the Ryuuou Hokuto Souke line.'  
  
As the boat continued to head towards Shimota Village, Ranma  
closed his eyes once again. 'If it is Himuro Gemma, I'll  
send him back to hell where he belongs. If he isn't, I'll  
stop whoever regardless.'  
  
--- End of Chapter ---  
  
Notes:  
  
[1] Hokuto Ryuu Ken - North Dipper Lapis Lazuli Fist. This  
martial art makes use of the opponent's 1,109 Keiraku Hakou  
pressure points. Hokuto Ryuu Ken is a 2000 year old martial  
art from the Land of Shura. Its founder was Ryuuou of the  
ancient Hokuto Souke ruling line. This martial art is known  
as an evil martial art; its use of one's "Matouki" aura that  
can drive the practitioner insane with evil, turning them  
into a "Majin" (God of Black Magic).  
  
[2] Nanto Sei Ken - South Dipper Holy Fist. There are 108  
styles of "Nanto Sei Ken." This style focuses on destroying  
from the outside. These styles mostly concentrate on  
stabbing or slicing. There are six primary Nanto masters,  
Nanto Roku Sei Ken, to correspond to the six stars in the  
Nanto constellation. Originally they were formed to guard  
the six gates at the emperor's palace  
  
[3] Nanto Houou Ken - South Dipper Phoenix Fist. Nanto  
Houou Ken is the ultimate Nanto style, the style of the  
Nanto Emperor. This style uses no fighting stances. Can  
also move in a strange gliding fashion. This style can only  
have one practitioner at one time; the successor must kill  
the previous successor.  
  
[4] Maijin - God of Black Magic  
  
[5] Tsubo - Another name for pressure points.  
  
[6] Gento Kou Ken - Origin Dipper Emperor Fist. The "Gento  
Kou Ken" style was created to protect the "Tentei" (Heaven  
Emperor). The symbol of the Gento is the Tentei's star,  
called the Daikyoku-sei (North Star). Each Gento successor  
is represented by a color. Sometimes using alternating hot  
& cold currents, Gento Kou Ken utterly destroys an opponent  
on the cellular level. 


	4. Chapter 04 v100

A Prequel to Echoes in Time  
  
Echoes of the Past - Story #1 - Chapter 04  
  
Version 1.0 (2/26/03)  
  
By AllWhacked  
  
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
--- Disclaimer ---  
  
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takakashi. The  
characters of Hokuto no Ken belong to Buronson and Tetsuo Hara. The  
characters of Ninja Scroll belong to Manga. The characters of  
Highlander belong to Davis/Panzer Inc. All other characters to appear  
are owned by their respective owners. So in other words, I DO NOT own  
shit, so please don't sue me because I have Zero money. Thank You.  
  
--- Warning!!! ---  
  
Anyway this is an Alterverse/Continuation fanfic with severe x-over  
tendencies.  
  
--- Note to Reader ---  
  
This is a prequel to Echoes in Time. It focuses on Ranma's adventures  
after being left behind in China, during the Nanban Mirror  
episode(anime only). Now he's stranded 400 years in the past, stuck  
in the middle of Imperial China surrounded by husband hungry Amazons.  
The events that occur may not run in chronological order and will be  
based on flashbacks on key events on his life.  
  
Also, due to the X-Over with Ninja Scroll a few of the beginning  
scenes will follow more of less the direct dialogue with the movie.  
Although I try not to follow canon word for word, I felt that it was  
necessary to do so for at least a few scenes so that those who aren't  
familiar with the series can get a better idea of who and what is  
going on. Also note there will be definitely a lot of spoiler if  
you've never watched Ninja Scroll though if you haven't watched it by  
now then shame on for not already seeing it.  
  
"..." = spoken dialogue  
  
'...' = thoughts  
  
--- End Note to Reader, Start of Chapter ---  
  
It was half-past three, another two hours before sun up, as Ranma and  
Dakuan rowed their small boat along the length of the Shirokawa River.  
With the air cooled, a heavy fog rolled in, casting a sheet of milky-  
white mist to disguise their presence.  
  
"Boy, it's time to wake up."  
  
Ranma gave a low grunt and the two prepared themselves for landing.  
With a soft thud they touched ground and quickly set about mooring the  
craft, hiding it amongst the riverbank's thick outgrowth of reeds.  
Once the camouflage was in place, the two checked their bearings  
before heading out through a field of knee-high grass, with Dakuan  
taking the lead and Ranma a few paces behind.  
  
As the two proceeded through the dense mist, Dakuan would--every few  
minutes or so--motion for the two to stop. Then, after trying to  
catch some light from the moon, pull out from his robe a brown travel  
warn map. He did this three times, consulting his map and then the  
stars before motioning Ranma to follow. When it looked like Dakuan  
was going to consult the map for a fourth time, Ranma finally spoke  
up.  
  
"Old Man, do you even know where you're going?"  
  
Dakuan didn't even bother to turn around. "Of course I do," he began.  
"I know this route like the back of my hand. Shimoda Village is just  
up that way. All we need to do is continue on forward for another-  
-Oooo! Aaaaaah!" The government spy let out a loud scream, piercing  
the night's silence with the sounds of his heavy grunts, muffled  
cries, and agonizing groans--each outburst of pain precipitated by his  
frail body crashing against the side of a rock edifice. As Dakuan  
flipped head over tail down a steep forty-foot in bank, he finally  
came to rest at the bottom of a dried up riverbed.  
  
"Ow my aching back!"  
  
With the old man tumbling to his doom, Ranma emerged from the fog and  
continued on forward only to abruptly stop at the cliff's edge.  
Peering over, he gathered some phlegm from the back of his throat and  
let loose a ball of mucus. 'Bombs away,' he thought as gravity took  
hold and carried the object down to its target. About a full second  
passed before Ranma heard Dakuan give out a cry of indignation when  
the freefalling projectile made contact with the top of the man's  
head.  
  
'Bulls eye,' he remarked. A mischievous grin then crossed Ranma's  
features as he shook his head ruefully. 'Back of my hand my ass!  
That must have been what--thirty-forty feet? How could he possibly  
miss something like that?'  
  
Cupping his hands to his face. "Hey! Hey old man," he began in a  
hoarse whisper. "Are you alright? I assume you're not dead down  
there," he said a little jokingly.  
  
Dakuan replied back in the hushed tone. "Shh, will you be quiet boy!-  
-I'm fine--but you're going to give our position away."  
  
Ranma ignored him however. "Well, whatever... I think it's a little  
too late for that now. Your little trip down there was loud enough to  
wake the dead. They probably already know we're here."  
  
Dakuan gave pause before he answered, "Hmm, I think you're right, we  
can't stay here much longer. Look, follow the path to the village,  
there is a temple on the way. I'll meet you there." Ranma gave his  
agreement and at that signal, Dakuan used his length extending staff  
to pogo his way out of there.  
At Dakuan's departure, Ranma began moving again. He immediately  
veered to his right, following the cliff's edge to a path that would  
lead him through a forest of dense trees. Making his way through the  
woods, Ranma abruptly broke stride as he heard the sound of distant  
chanting. Straining his ears, he tried to make out what was being  
said.  
  
"Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu..."  
  
'Homage to Amida Buddha.' The words were familiar to him. He  
recognized the phrase as nenbutsu, a call for Amida--a Buddhist  
bodhisattvas[1] or patron saint--who promised to aid mankind on the  
journey to the "Western Paradise."[2]  
  
As Ranma continued to trek, following the direction of the chanting  
like a Siren's call, the echoed words grew louder and louder until  
finally he reached the bottom of a flight of stone steps. Looking up,  
a large Buddhist temple came into view. And after eyeing the  
structure suspiciously, a curious crease furled across his brow.  
  
'How strange?' he thought. 'Who would be praying at this time of  
night?'  
  
He took pause and then shrugged. Well, he was supposed to meet Dakuan  
there anyway, so he might as well go investigate.  
  
++++++++++  
  
"Namu-Amida-Butsu, Namu-Amida-Butsu, Namu-Amida-Butsu..."  
  
Ranma entered the temple's main chamber and immediately spotted an old  
woman dressed in the traditional garb of a Buddhist nun. She was  
kneeling before an opaque-colored carved representation of the Buddha.  
Her nonstop repetition of nenbutsu continued to echo throughout the  
temple's vast halls as Ranma made his way towards the structure's  
innermost sanctum. Nearing the nun, Ranma felt a bit of nostalgia.  
It had been some time since he last set foot in a temple. He wasn't  
sure whether this was good or bad.  
  
Shaking his head, he eventually came to stand a few feet behind the  
chanting woman who in turn abruptly stopped. "Whose there?" she asked  
in a slightly apprehensive tone.  
  
Ranma took pause. He was a little surprised that an old--probably  
half-deaf--nun would be able to sense his entrance with her back  
turned against him. He hadn't entered the building with any intent to  
mask his presence, but still something didn't feel right about this.  
  
In a calm voice he replied back to the woman. "Excuse me, I didn't  
mean to startle you, but I was told to meet somebody here. By any  
chance, have you seen an old traveling monk?"  
  
"Oh, yes I have. I've seen him."  
  
"Really? Where is he?"  
  
The old woman turned her head beckoning him to come closer. When he  
did, her body immediately began to convulse and Ranma responded by  
tensing into a fighting stance. In a fraction of a second the woman's  
body began to bulge then exploded into a mass of slithering serpents,  
causing Ranma to leap back in shock. Long blue-green snakes began to  
pour forth from every orifice of her body--eyes, ears, nose, mouth-  
-exiting the sagging husk of skin in a hurried flush.  
  
Then, as quickly as the snakes had emerged, they were no more-  
-incinerated out of existence by a compression of energized ki. In a  
crouch, Ranma eyed his surroundings. Left and right he saw nothing,  
yet he continued to hear the distinct sound of slithering scales and  
the occasional hiss of a snakes tongue growing louder and louder.  
  
'Where could it--?' He looked up and his eyes bulged. Above him hung  
a five-meter wide mass of beady-eyed serpents suspended from the  
ceiling. The uneven swirling mass contorted and formed an image of a  
face--his face to be exact. It suddenly grinned in a not so good way.  
  
"Oh sh--!" was all that escaped his lips before hundreds, perhaps  
thousands of these snakes dropped down upon him. The slithering  
reptiles soon began to envelope his form, wrapping their lengthy  
bodies to hold his frame in a vice like grip. Each of the snakes  
began to tense it self, ever ready to constrict at once to squeeze the  
life out of him, or if necessary, to drop their poison tipped fangs  
into his unprotected flesh.  
  
With snakes all around him, Ranma watched on as more and more of their  
brethren emerged--seemingly coming out of nowhere. Soon the entire  
floor of the temple was covered in a moving mass of scaly bodies and  
Ranma couldn't help but wonder that if this was a dream, it had better  
not turn into something involving tentacle rape.  
  
While Ranma idly thought to himself, he noticed that in front of him,  
the mass of snakes began to form a mound and suddenly the woman from  
the hot springs emerged. As she stood up straight--completely in the  
nude--a few stray serpents fell off her shoulders or slithered down  
her lengthy thighs, like how morning dew would off a leaf.  
  
"Well Shaolin," she began in a heady voice. "We meet again."  
  
Ranma looked on in a stone cold expression. He had to give this woman  
credit; it had been a long time since someone--'anyone'--was able to  
get the drop on him like this.  
  
"Congratulations," he began. "So soon after our last encounter and  
you've already learned to adapt your tactics. I'm impressed."  
  
The woman, known as Benisato, took pause. She wasn't expecting a  
compliment, but recovering quickly she gave him a smile; it almost  
looked warm on her angular face.  
  
"I thank you, Shaolin. You are truly... a worthy opponent in your own  
right." Benisato then thought back to their last bout. In vivid  
recollection, her mind flowed through the images of the fight and how  
he was able to evade the hypnotic effects of her snakes, and then when  
attacked, to vanish into thin air only to reappear at her rear after  
releasing what she assumed was a ki-blast. Seeing him incinerate her  
snakes confirmed this.  
  
She shuddered in remembrance of the helplessness she felt before him.  
Imagining the fate she might have beheld if he had shot her in the  
back like he could have. Her heart palpitated a little faster and her  
naked skin began to flush; she was beginning to get the same feeling  
she got whenever she found herself in the arms of Lord Gemma.  
  
A thrill of sensation tingled across her spine--running all the way  
down to her toes. It was power she felt, and she enjoyed its alluring  
affect. She savored it, whishing to bask in its radiance--whether it  
be her own or the kind felt by being close to a strong man. 'A man  
like Lord Gemma,' her mind added.  
  
Yet, the man standing before her was also powerful. His performance  
at the hot spring proved that and after seeing how the ten-foot rock  
giant, Tessai was dispatched, she knew that even Lord Gemma would be  
hard pressed to take him on alone. And if not for the fact that it  
was she who now held the power of life and death over this man,  
Benisato might have 'perchance' been tempted to change allegiances.  
  
'He certainly is handsome enough for my tastes,' she thought. 'And  
strong. Perhaps stronger than Lord Gemma in some ways.' She felt  
torn; she should kill him, yet she couldn't bring herself to do so.  
Not yet anyways.  
  
"Answer me this: Is there more than just you and the old monk?"  
  
Ranma raised an eyebrow as he maintained an otherwise stoic  
expression. If not for the snakes holding him in their grip, one  
would suspect that he was perfectly fine and content in his current  
predicament.  
  
"And if I tell you, what will I get in return?" he asked.  
  
Benisato grinned. She liked the way he operated. With a mental  
command she ordered her reptilian horde to move Ranma towards her-  
-inching him across the floor in a gliding motion. When the two came  
within a foot of one another, Benisato spoke.  
  
"You're an interesting man, Shaolin. If you answer my questions, I  
might be persuaded to implore my benefactor to let me keep you." She  
brought up one of her delicate hands to stroke his cheek one way, then  
bringing her finger down to trace the outlines of his chin and jaw.  
She was admiring the look of his flawless skin and his deep blue eyes.  
  
"You and I could be very powerful if we worked together," she  
continued softly. "With your strength and my cunning..." She let her  
words hang there, implying more than what was actually said. If Ranma  
accepted this offer (and Benisato hoped he would), it meant life and  
the chance to learn more of Benisato's mysterious benefactor. On the  
other hand, if he refused... well then he refused and Benisato would  
need to dispose of him, less news of her implied betrayal get back to  
Lord Gemma or that effeminate-brownnoser, Yurimaru.  
  
As she waited for Ranma's answer she took a step back, never bothering  
to cover her exposed body. Ranma in the meanwhile eyed her with an  
impassive stare. "There are three of us," he began in a drawn out  
voice. "The old monk, myself and one other..."  
  
Benisato looked on without changing her expression, but inwardly, she  
was smiling a large smile. 'Ooh yes!' she thought. 'We're going to  
have so much 'fun' together. I'm sure I'll be able to convince Lord  
Gemma to let me keep you. And once I do, I'll have you thank me by  
licking--" Caught in her own thoughts, Benisato failed to realize the  
last words being said until it was too late.  
  
"--and she's standing right behind you."  
  
The self-named temptress of snakes looked stunned as she felt the feel  
of cold steel press across her jugular. 'Damn that man! He tricked  
me. He played me for a fool--a fool! I'm going to.. to--'  
  
Benisato's mental processes were cut short when she felt the blade's  
edge push itself deeper into her throat--drawing blood as it broke  
skin.  
  
"I told you get rid of them," spoke the third companion. "If you  
don't I will--"  
  
"STOP! Don't hurt her," voiced Ranma, his body still wrapped amongst  
the mass of writhing snakes. His voice was not loud, but it carried a  
level of heightened authority that left both women staring at him in  
stunned silence. "Kagero, that's your name, right? Let her go."  
  
The female ninja or kunoichi double-blinked. "You want me to what!?"  
she gasped. She then took pause and frowned at him. She didn't have  
to take orders from him, yet still, she did owe him her life and it  
was a debt that she intended to repay. But still...  
  
"Get rid of those snakes first," she said.  
  
Benisato paused for a second, before sending out her mental command.  
In that instant the snakes began to slither away, withering their  
bodies loose from their captive, before speeding towards the nearest  
exit. As this went on, she eyed Ranma with a speculative gaze; the  
same look mirrored by the woman standing behind her.  
  
"Kagero, aren't you forgetting something?"  
  
The woman looked at him with a wry smile. "I did not promise to let  
her go and I don't have to take orders from you." The kunoichi  
tightened her grip on her prisoner before barking out her demands to  
Benisato. "And now it is your turn to answer some questions. Who do  
you work for and what is it that you're doing in this village?" But  
before she could receive a reply, Kagero felt a jolt of stinging-pain  
coming from her inner thigh. The sensation was brief and it soon  
passed.  
  
"Her sting is most deadly," Benisato began. Her words were in  
response to having had one of her vipers--hidden within the folds of  
her nether regions--slither out of its enclosure to deliver a double-  
fanged injection of highly venomous toxins into the kunoichi's exposed  
flesh. "You would have been wise to have listened to your friend you  
know, if you did perhaps you wouldn't have to die."  
  
Kagero responded by pressing her wakizashi[3] even deeper across  
Benisato's throat. "Nice try bitch, but venom doesn't work against  
me--I'm immune to poison... Now answer my questions! Who are you and  
what are you doing in this village?" She emphasized her point by  
digging her thumb and forefinger into Benisato's shoulder, eliciting a  
muted cry of pain.  
  
As Kagero waited to see the results from her torture, she was alerted  
to an odd tingling sensation coursing into and through her body. She  
realized that this feeling was coming from her direct contact to  
Benisato and before she could fully register this fact, she was  
temporarily blinded by a brief flash of light and found herself flung  
up into the air--landing with a dull thud against a wooden pillar.  
  
Watching in detached amazement, Benisato's body lit up in white-light  
as thousands of volts of electricity funneled into her body from a  
thin--though faintly visible--string attached around her neck. The  
woman let out an agonizing scream that was soon muted when Ranma let  
loose a ferocious attack.  
  
"Kijin Raishu Dan." The 'Demon God Assault Bomb'[4] cut a vacuum-  
blade induced trench nearly ten-feet long and half-a-foot wide across  
the floor of the temple, splintering everything in its wake including  
the thin bonds of the electrified wire. With the string cut, it  
quickly began to dissolve into a faint red line leading out from the  
temple and into the dark forest.  
  
++++++++++  
  
In Shimoda Village, Yurimaru sat across a low wooden table with a  
faint iridescent string held across his palm and forefinger.  
  
"Two failures in one day are unforgivable. I wound another line  
around your neck this time, but unfortunately you did not notice for  
you were a fool."  
  
Yurimaru savored the sensation of having rid himself of his main  
romantic rival. The fact that he was able to do so in such a painful  
manner was an added bonus. And despite the fact that the line was  
somehow severed, Lord Gemma's most trusted lieutenant knew--despite  
his desire to have incinerated Benisato's body inside out--that his  
limited attack had still caused his victim's heart and vital organs to  
shut down, essentially rendering his target clinically dead. To  
revive her now would take some sort of miracle he thought.  
  
+++++++++++  
  
"Is she dead?"  
  
Kagero received no reply as Ranma set himself to work. 'One... Two...  
Three... Four,' he counted as he pressed the palm of his hand across  
Benisato's naked chest. He was performing CPR, a technique of medical  
science not yet known in medieval Japan, but something he had picked  
up from his native time period. Now combining his foreknowledge in  
emergency medicine with his skills in Hokuto Shin Ken, he knew what he  
had to do.  
  
'Breath,' he now thought, pressing his lips against Benisato's. He  
pinched her nose close and blew a deep breath into her chest to cause  
it to rise and fall with his own. It was his hope that he could  
restart her vascular system, doing so in time before her brain  
suffered irreparable damage.  
  
He continued these actions a few more times. 'One... Two... Three...  
Four... Breath. One... Two... Three... Four... Breath.' He stopped  
and pressed his right ear to the left breast. He heard a thump, then  
a pause, then another thump. Her heart was beating. He then brought  
his ear up to her mouth and felt her shallow but steady breath. She  
was going to live.  
  
Across from Ranma, Kagero watched from a kneeled position. She was  
recovering from her electrical shock, nursing a minor burn on her left  
hand, as she watched the Hokuto Shin Ken Master go to work. She knew  
from past experience what electricity could do to the human body,  
having once witnessed a young-lord attempt to defy heaven by  
brandishing his katana to the sky during a thunderstorm. 'Poor Lord  
Kuno.'  
  
Breathing in through her nose, the prevalent smell of burnt hair added  
to the vivid memory of the young-lord's demise as she transposed his  
image over the unconscious visage of this agent of Kimon. Refocusing  
her attention, Kagero watched as the woman, whom she suspected as good  
as dead, suddenly take in a pained gasp of breath while her eyes shot  
wide in alert awareness. Somehow, Ranma had breathed his own life  
force back into this woman. It was the only way that Kagero could  
explain it. 'My god, he must be a chi master,' she thought.  
  
With her mind racing at this new revelation, Kagero juggled this  
thought with a second realization that her enemy was still alive.  
Seeing Benisato now breathing regularly, though the woman's eyes were  
now closed and looked as if she were in a state of peaceful slumber,  
Kagero inched her injured hand towards the handle of her short sword-  
-readying its use incase the now sleeping woman suddenly attacked.  
Wincing as she rounded the wooden grip with her injured hand, she  
began to slowly pull the blade from out of its sheath, but was stopped  
when she felt a gentle hand rest itself across her wrist.  
  
Looking up, she saw Ranma shake his head.  
  
"There's no need. I hit a series of tsubo points that will keep her  
unconscious for the next few yours. It will give us a chance to get  
out of here, where we can question her later."  
  
Kagero nodded numbly as she listened to all this. It sounded liked a  
good plan.  
  
"Now here, let me look at that burn of yours."  
  
Kagero failed to react as Ranma took her hand into his. She watched  
with a detached sense of awareness as he first began to strip away the  
cord bindings that held her kote or wrist guard together. When he was  
done, he proceeded to run his thumb and forefingers up the length of  
her forearm--pressing or massaging various pressure points from her  
elbow down to her palm.  
  
As Kagero felt his callused worn fingers tickle her flesh, a sudden  
warmth spread out across her lower limb, helping to alleviate much of  
the pain caused by her injury. At the same time, while she relished  
in the euphoric feel of excess adrenaline and pain-killing endorphins  
as they coursed through her body, the female ninja became suddenly  
self-conscious of her close proximity to the Shaolin warrior.  
  
She did nothing however to stop his actions, watching him in wide-eyed  
fascination as he then began to remove a set of objects from the folds  
of his sleeves. First came a stone mortar, then a pestle, then  
followed by a variety of small leather pouches. Finally, he pulled  
out a steaming hot kettle and a medium sized bowl.  
  
'How in the world?' Kagero thought. 'There is no way he could hide  
that much stuff on him.'  
  
However, sensing the ninja woman's unsaid question, Ranma replied:  
"It's an ancient Chinese hidden weapons technique. It lets me to hide  
most anything on my person, without revealing the objects bulge.  
Quite useful when you travel; there's no need for luggage."  
  
A slight smile broke across Kagero's lips, which Ranma momentarily  
noted before setting his hands into a blurred set of motions. In less  
than a few seconds, he had pinched, squeezed, and ground the right  
proportion of Chinese medicines to use as a healing poultice to apply  
to Kagero's wounds. Then applying some heated sake to the mix, he  
stirred it all into a bowl until everything was an even light green  
color.  
  
Then staring the ninja woman straight in the eye, Ranma took hold of  
her injured hand and gently place it palm down into the bowl of  
medicine. Kagero's hand briefly stung upon contact and she  
momentarily winced, before contorting her face back into a neutral  
expression. After about ten seconds of soaking, Ranma placed his own  
hand into the bowl, palming the bottom of Kagero's hand with his own.  
  
"Don't be afraid at what's about to happen."  
  
Before Kagero could reply, a flash of light emitted from the bowl and  
soon the liquid mixture it contained began to evaporate. With her  
eyes wide in shock, Kagero was about to pull her arm away but it was  
locked into place as Ranma's other hand gripped it like a steel vice.  
  
"Just a few more seconds and it'll be over."  
  
A faint blue aura then began to envelop the two as Kagero nodded her  
head in understanding--feeling most of her anxiety leave her. In her  
mind, she knew this man was helping her, somehow she knew this, but  
she was still afraid. As much as it galled her to admit it, she was  
truly frightened. However, as she stared further and further into the  
man's cobalt blue eyes--eyes emitting both care and compassion--she  
somehow forgot this fear; instead, focusing on his caring expression  
and the aura of warmth and confidence she felt her self in.  
  
And as soon as it began it ended. Looking at Ranma's face, she saw  
him smile.  
  
"Take a look at your hand now."  
  
Feeling somewhat dazed, Kagero did as was told. Looking up at her  
injured palm, she noticed that the burnt and blistered flesh was no  
more. In its place was new, soft, pink skin. Staring at it, she  
proceeded to run her fingers over the area and marveled at the lack of  
pain she was feeling.  
  
Looking up, "How did you--?"  
  
"Ancient Chinese healing technique." Ranma then added: "Now lets take  
a look at that snake bite."  
  
"There's no need," she answered briskly, clenching her already closed  
legs further together. A look of obvious discomfort etched across her  
face.  
  
Ranma then gave her a sigh. "I don't think now is a time for feminine  
modesty. That snake that bit you was probably poisonous. I don't  
think she," tilting he head back to a sleeping Benisato, "was joking  
when she said 'her sting is most deadly.'"  
  
Again Kagero said there was no need, adding: "As I said before, I'm  
immune to poison." Ranma however still gave her a look of doubt, so  
Kagero continued her speech with her arms now locked across her  
shoulders, as she was about to address something of obvious personal  
discomfort. "I'm not lying to you, I'm immune to poison. It's  
because of my.. my body. Poison has seeped into every party of my  
being. It's become so strong that even the touch of my lips could  
kill you instantly. And as a side effect, the poison in my body  
cancels out the effects of other poisons. Thus I'm immune."  
  
Ranma blinked and then nodded. "I didn't realize. I'm sorry I forced  
you to reveal something so personal. I can tell that it was not easy  
for you, but I thank you for your honesty." He briefly bowed his head  
to her with his eyes closed, then got up. "I think it's time for us  
to go. That hand of yours should be okay in the next few hours. The  
herbs and sake were used to kill any infections and promote the  
healing process; the little light show was to accelerate skin  
regeneration. But sorry to say however, be careful with the sword of  
yours, you've just lost about a decades worth of protective calluses."  
  
Ranma then pulled from the sleeves of his shirt, a large cotton  
blanket that he used to wrap Benisato's naked body in. He then  
proceeded to cradle her in his arms, as he lifted her up and headed  
out through the temple's main entrance. Turning his head back, he  
noticed Kagero still sitting on the ground, with an unreadable  
expression on her face. "Yo Kagero!" He waited until she  
acknowledged him. "Another thing. Thanks for the rescue." He gave  
her a warm smile and then turned around, heading out into the  
darkness.  
  
Kagero looked back at him with her own wistful smile, though it almost  
seemed panged with regret.  
  
--- End of Chapter ---  
  
Notes:  
  
[1] Bodhisattvas - In the Buddhist religion, bodhisattvas are  
individuals who have reach nirvana and have decided to return to earth  
in physical form to aid the rest of man on this journey. In the  
Japanese Buddhist tradition, many Bodhisattvas are prayed to like gods  
and they take on a following similar to how saints are treated in the  
Catholic Church.  
  
[2] Western Paradise - In the Buddhist religion, especially in the  
Jodo and Shin Jodo sects of Buddhism, was a place that Amida Buddha  
promised to help people get to. The Western Paradise in itself is not  
Nirvana, but rather a staging ground to Nirvana that is basically like  
being in Heaven.  
  
[3] Wakazashi - Shorter than the Katana (about 68 cm), this sword was  
worn indoors by the Samurai, because the Katana was too long to fight  
in small rooms.  
  
[4] Kijin Raishu Dan - The Kijin Raishu Dan or 'Demon God Assault  
Bomb' is basically a vacuum blade technique that Genma Saotome  
invented in the Ranma 1/2 cannon. The move is part of the Yamasenken-  
-a school of martial arts that Genma invented but sealed away because  
they were too dangerous or something like that. In any case, because  
this is my fic, I've decided that in this alternate universe, Ranma is  
the actual inventor of the Kijin Raishu Dan, which readers can further  
speculate whether or not Ranma is the true founder of the Yamasenken  
and the Umisenken (the Yamasenken's sister school). 


End file.
